


I Can Give You What You Need

by DiaMori



Series: Need-Verse [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Biting, Bloodlust, Breathplay, Consensual Sex, Dom/sub, Double Anal Penetration, Eventual Smut, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Just a kinky angsty and heartfelt story, M/M, Masturbation, Mute Link, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Self-Destructive Behavior, Semi-Public Sex, Two Cocks, kind of, sex potion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-02-26 12:11:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 48,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13235481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiaMori/pseuds/DiaMori
Summary: Five years after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Hyrule is flourishing. The kingdoms are in harmony and work seamlessly together to ensure any potential threats will never rise again. Peace at last blankets the land.But at the yearly celebratory banquet, Sidon can't help but notice Link isn't flourishing as everyone else is, and he knows that if someone doesn't do something about it, the Hero of Hyrule might not last. Yet despite Link's stubborn attitude and self-destructive tendencies, Sidon believes he can give Link what he needs to truly live again.So long as Sidon keeps the beast lurking within himself under control.





	1. Banquet

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, so I wrote this story for a friend of mine and decided, why the hell not? Let's share it. So here we are. I'm a little late to the game/fandom, but here's my contribution. 
> 
> For those of you wondering, the sexy-times won't start until chapter 4, but I think the buildup of the first three chapters is necessary to understand the mentality of my Link and the problems my Sidon faces, so I hope you'll read them.
> 
> Anyway, enough of me prattling on. I know what you want and I hope you enjoy the way this story begins!

Prince Sidon’s exuberant smile fell as he watched with quiet concern as Link entered the banquet hall. A shy, embarrassed smile stood readily on the Hylian’s thin lips. His ocean-blue eyes were kind as they swept across the crowd who filled the banquet hall from all the kingdoms of Hyrule to celebrate their fifth year free of Calamity Ganon. That smile and those kind eyes were always something Prince Sidon was eager to see, and there wasn’t a time the Zora wasn’t pleased to see the Hylian Champion himself.

What caused Sidon’s smile to fade was the faintest of limps Link sported as he favored his left side. When distracted by his presence and sweet smile, it was easy for the Zora to see how the Champion’s injury might go unnoticed by Princess Zelda and many of the others gathered. But to his sharp eyes, the limp stood out like an errant current in the water. Just like every one of Link’s injuries had with growing frequency over the last few years.

Beside Sidon, the Rito warrior, Teba, leaned forward to rest his feathered elbows on the table. Sidon cast a discreet glance his way and topaz yellow met his molten gold. Both reflected the same understanding, the same silent unease and consideration. Sidon slipped his eyes back toward the Hylian Champion, thankful Link still had some ways to go before he made it as far as the high table which hosted the formal representatives of the Kingdoms of Hyrule.

The Zora leaned forward on his elbows to match his Rito compatriot as they watched the Hero of Hyrule make his way across the crowded room.

“As I heard it,” Sidon muttered from behind his hands. “Link came with you from Rito Village here to the gathering.” The prince caught the white Rito’s eyes. “What happened?”

Teba sighed, the feathers around his eyes crinkling as the very edge of his deadly beak curved down.

“Your guess is as good as mine, Prince Sidon. When we arrived this morning, Link was fine.” Topaz met Sidon’s gold. “I don’t know what he’s been up to, but I think whatever it was attempted to kill him. Look at his right wrist. Under the cuff.”

Sidon studied the spot the Rito warrior indicated and was both impressed by Teba’s sharp sight, and dismayed by the pale bandage peeking out, encircling Link’s skin.

“I take it that wasn’t there either.”

“It wasn’t.”

Sidon frowned into his hands. It had been roughly a month since he’d last seen the Hylian, and he’d been worried ever since.

In the years since the downfall of Calamity Ganon, and the liberation of Princess Zelda and Hyrule Castle, the hero had worked with the princess to help rebuild Hyrule. Provide it with growth and stability. Under her vision and Link’s ready presence, the kingdom was experiencing a rapid renaissance. Already, a great deal of Hyrule Castle had been rebuilt and restored. The central kingdom itself was steadily flourishing with New Castle Town at the lead. Peace was spreading like dawn on the horizon to every corner of Hyrule.

Never anywhere but in Sidon’s dreams had he ever hoped to experience something so incredible. Impossible. But he was. It was happening before his very eyes.

Then two years ago, Princess Zelda had done something no one had expected. She’d released Link of his position as the Knight of the Princess, freeing him from the life both he and Zelda had been forced into since birth. Giving him the ability to take his life and do with it whatever he wished. After defeating Calamity Ganon and helping restore Hyrule as Link had, Sidon had been surprised when his friend had accepted the freedom graciously, readily taking his leave of the castle to roam Hyrule again.

When Link stopped by not long after, he’d confided in Sidon that life at the castle, attending political engagements and training the new Hylian Guard – an important job to be sure, and one he’d taken very seriously – had left him restless and dulled. Princess Zelda had noticed and suggested he find his place since it had become clear it was not by her side. The kingdom was stable enough, and Link had eagerly taken to traveling again. There were still many monsters around, and dangerous as it often was, helping and protecting in the wilds was what he wanted to do. At least for a while until he found something else. It would be safer now, anyway.

Originally, Sidon agreed. This was Link, after all. The Hylian Champion. No one was as safe as he was, on his own.

Sidon frowned as a blood-filled memory slipped into his mind, one which colored Link’s last visit to the Domain a month ago. Sidon had thanked the Goddess that Link had made the transport to Ne’ez Yohma Shrine in the night when most of the Zora had been asleep. He’d been even more thankful it was he, and only he since he’d been close and gazing upon the statue of Mipha, to have found the Hylian before Link bled out in the water where he’d collapsed unconscious and on the brink of death.

Even after Link was treated, when asked what happened the Hylian told Sidon he’d just been unlucky, and that was the only reason he’d been in such bad shape when he’d arrived. That he apologized for the trouble, despite Sidon’s assurance it was nothing for the Hero of Hyrule. Even with Link’s smile and kind eyes softening his face and smoothing the situation, Sidon knew his friend was lying.

Link had left two days later, regardless of the clear need for longer recovery, promising to see him again at the banquet before he’d used the Sheikah Slate and vanished. Sidon hadn’t been able to do a thing to stop him.

“You’re worried,” Teba commented quietly, reaching for the wine in his chalice to tip the red drink carefully into his beak, taking a sip. Sidon blinked away his memory and instead focused on Link as he was now, smiling bashfully, shaking hands, bowing. What other wounds covered the hero under his clothing? What else was the Hylian Champion hiding?

“Are you not?” the Zora asked. “Link has never been one to step away from a fight if it’s in the name of someone who needs him. But even before the Calamity was defeated, he was never so prone to injury. It’s as if he’s grown … reckless.”

Teba hummed thoughtfully. “That might be the case. I’m worried he’s seeking out battles now. Seeking out the fights, now that Ganon’s gone.”

Sidon’s frown deepened because that same sinister thought had crossed his mind long ago. It had idled in his thoughts every time Link appeared in the Zora’s Domain beaten and in need of help. The number of those instances had grown higher than the number of peaceful visits Link made simply to catch up and relax. As much as Sidon looked forward to the latter type of visits from the Hylian Champion, these days when he heard Link had returned to the Domain, he feared the worst.

In truth, Sidon feared that every time he next saw the hero, it would be as Link lay on the threshold of death, unable to make the journey back to life just one more time.

“But why would he do that?” Sidon muttered, his troubled thoughts layering his words, even though he suspected he already knew the answer to his own question. “Deliberately throwing himself in harm’s way?”

The Rito sighed. “Again, Prince Sidon. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Their conversation ended once Link neared, his rounds culminating at the table of representatives. The hero started on the other end where the other two representatives were seated, then to Princess Zelda whom he greeted with a polite kiss on her hand. Then he grinned at Sidon in that silent way that always made Sidon’s heart ease.

Sidon didn’t hesitate to stand and grasp the Hylian’s hands in his, his best smile all for the Hero of Hyrule.

“Link! My most cherished friend,” Sidon exclaimed with a great smile he was sure hid his worry and played up the happy relief he felt at the sight of this brave Hylian. “It’s been so long. Your presence is the highlight of this wonderful banquet. I am relieved you were able to attend.”

Link’s hands tightened in his, those small hands which had wielded the Master Sword and fought for the Zora and all the other kingdoms of Hyrule. Prince Sidon’s heart raced when Link matched his smile with one of his own, one that made the edges of his blue eyes light with happiness and pleasure unlike it had with any of the others present.

Sidon wasn’t sure how he managed, but somehow he let the Champion’s hands go. His thumb stroked his palm where Link’s hands had been. They still felt warm, and the phantom imprint of the Hylian’s skin seemed to linger, as if reluctant to leave.

Returning to his seat, he watched as Link nodded to Teba – the Rito nodding back with a faint smirk – before he took his place between Princess Zelda and the Gerudo Chief. Riju grinned at Link while Yunobo looked on with a bright smile. As Link sat, Sidon caught the slight flinch the Hylian made. Sidon wondered what else he might see if the Hylian Princess hadn’t been blocking his sight, despite her slender form.

Reluctantly, the Zora pulled his eyes from the Hylian Champion and ensured his trademark smile was in place as he listened politely to Princess Zelda make a speech in honor of the banquet, and the defeat of the Calamity. To the peace spreading across Hyrule, with thanks largely to Link and the fallen Champions who’d given their lives over a hundred years ago and made this day a reality.

Cheers filled the room, the sound deafening and riotous before the feast finally began. Music filled the room with gaiety and merriment as Kass played his accordion, his blue feathers ruffling with showmanship. The banquet hall filled with warmth and life.

No matter the joy which surrounded them all, the smiles, the uplifting conversations, the splendid food, Prince Sidon couldn’t help but keep a careful eye on the Hylian Champion. Link ate and smiled and blushed when Chief Riju and Princess Zelda teased him relentlessly about something he’d done while in Gerudo Town, but Sidon couldn’t help but notice the brilliant spark he’d once seen in Link’s eyes before Calamity Ganon was faded almost to nothing. It had been that way for a long time now.

“There must be something we can do,” he found himself muttering to the Rito, who looked up from his food at Sidon, then to Link. “There must be some way we can help.”

“I’m not sure we can,” Teba replied as he fiddled with his food. Sidon’s brow furrowed, and the white Rito gave him a sympathetic look. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want to. After everything he’s done for Hyrule, for my people as well as yours, I care about his future. We all do.”

“Then why don’t you think it’s possible?”

“I hope it’s possible,” the Rito corrected. “But the reason I think we’d have our work cut out for us is because the one we want to help … I’m not sure he’s the type that’s good at asking for it. Let alone accepting it.”

Again, Sidon disagreed. “We’ve all helped him on his path to defeat the Calamity,” he argued. “He allowed us to do that. I know he could not have calmed Vah Ruta without the aid of the Zora.” _Or myself_ , Sidon silently added.

“But that was to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda,” Teba countered. “He needed us to succeed, just like we needed him. Both are saved now.”

The Rito’s eyes grew pensive as he peered around Sidon at Link. “I wonder if Link even realizes he might be the one who needs help.” Sidon didn’t know what to say, and Teba’s eyes dropped from the Hylian. The Rito warrior reached for his wine. “Like I said, I wonder if he’d even ask for help if he did.”

As much as Sidon wished his compatriot didn’t have a point … Teba did. Sidon had years’ worth of evidence to support Teba’s theory, much as it pained him to admit. But just because he might agree with the assessment of the Hylian Champion’s behavior, it did not mean he was willing to let it lie.

“There _must_ be something we can do,” Sidon repeated. “Or someone that can help.” His claws dug into the chalice which held his own wine, and he noticed Teba eyeing the small indentations left behind when he released it. “Link has done everything for us. We can’t just let him continue as he is.”

Sidon’s voice lowered, and there was strain there as he recalled the close call Link had had a month ago. The Zora did little to hide his concern from the Rito. “I worry it will only be a matter of time before he encounters something he cannot defeat.”

“Or won’t want to defeat,” Teba added softly, and Sidon’s stomach clenched at the morbid possibility.

“There must be something.”

“I suppose the place to start would be with the person he’s closest to,” Teba supplied after a moment of thought. “That person, I’d think, would have the best chance of getting through to him.”

Sidon considered the Rito’s words. There was sense there, but the question also became more complicated because of it. _Who_ was close enough to have that sort of influence on Link? Naturally, his first thought was Princess Zelda — Link had spent so much of his time and effort as a knight defending and protecting her. Saving her from Calamity Ganon. But there were reasons to shy from such an obvious choice. Link _had_ left her service, even if he had vowed to return if the need should ever arise.

Despite that, it was no secret to Sidon that Link’s memories of the past were still faint and convoluted. Distant and detached. He’d remained faithful to the princess and his role as her knight because it was the noble thing to do. The right thing to do. But Sidon had always wondered at the Hylian’s closeness toward the princess. It hadn’t been enough to make him stay after all.

But who then? Who among them was close enough to the hero? Any Link had known before his sleep faced the same problem the princess did, in that his lack of memories presented a barrier Link did not appear intent on breaching.

“I see you don’t think Princess Zelda is the right person either,” Teba stated with no judgment.

“Where does Link spend the most time?” Sidon considered. “That might give us a place to start, at least. There might be someone there who he’s particularly close to. That might be the person we’re looking for.”

“I don’t think it’s with the Rito,” Teba admitted plainly. “In the last year, his journeys to our lands have been more than to the Gerudos’, but he’s never given any indication that there’s anyone among the Rito he favors. He and I always find time to catch up, but I have many responsibilities, and he always seems content to move on.”

Sidon glanced down the line to Yunobo who chortled loudly, almost succeeding in shaking the table. Link gave the young Goron a grin as he steadied his and the princess’s cups.

“With the Gorons, perhaps?”

Even as he voiced the thought, Sidon had to admit he wasn’t so sure about that. There had been more than a few times when Link appeared in Zora’s Domain looking burned and charred, jokingly telling him that he much preferred the deep waters to the lava lakes of the north. But Link did keep venturing north. Perhaps that was where their answer resided?

“It’s possible,” Teba agreed with a slight shrug of his shoulder, the white feathers there glinting in the light. “What about your people? The Zora? He’s always talking about your Domain when he speaks to me.”

Sidon’s eyes widened as his tail twitched at the statement. “He does?”

The white Rito’s eyes crinkled with amusement as a small chuckle filled the air. “Frequently. It seems like he’s got good memories there.” A feathered brow lifted pointedly at Sidon. “He talks about you almost as much.”

If he’d been surprised by Teba’s earlier statement, it was nothing compared to this current one. Sidon’s tail threatened to do more than just twitch this time, but he held it still with careful control.

“Does he?” Sidon asked. “I didn’t realize he spoke of me.”

“Often, and with more enthusiasm than I see him speak about anything else. Well, except food. Link respects what you do for your people and how you’ve helped them. How you’ve helped him.” Teba shrugged his feathered shoulder again. “Maybe it’s you, Prince Sidon?”

Sidon’s throat tightened as his heart clenched at the idea. That _he_ might be someone so important to the Hylian that he might be able to help him? Sidon wouldn’t lie to himself. He wished it was true. But the last time Link had come to the Domain, bloody and unconscious, when Sidon had asked what had happened Link had only brushed him off and left. Surely, if he were the person closest to Link, Link would have said more?

Prince Sidon sighed, gazing into his wine. “I’m not so sure, my friend.”

Their conversation fell to the wayside when Princess Zelda stood and announced that dancing would begin in the courtyard for those who desired it. Then at her urging, Link led her out to the brightly lit courtyard, and Sidon and Teba watched as Link continued to favor his left side. Sidon wondered if the princess noticed, or if she was going to take the first dance with the hero when it would likely aggravate any injuries he currently hid.

Kass began a slow waltz, and Sidon watched with stoic eyes as Link lead Princess Zelda through it. The Zora thought Link’s limp was growing more evident, but the music didn’t stop, the princess didn’t slow, and Link didn’t bow out. The hero simply smiled as if nothing in the world was wrong, the image of the dependable, noble knight.

Sidon’s heart sank at the sight, and he had to look away. He stared down at his fish and found his usually healthy appetite had vanished.

“You should smile, Prince Sidon,” Teba commented with a discreet nudge. “Or people will start thinking something’s wrong. It’s unlike you to look so troubled.”

Sidon chuckled before pulling on a smile he didn’t feel but knew always reassured those who saw it. “As you say.”

“If it helps, for now, I think we have some time,” the Rito said as he reached for his wine. “To my knowledge, he’s never been so injured that he needed severe medical attention. It’s always been minor wounds with this growing recklessness. He still has his head about him, for the most part.”

It was a struggle not to let his smile drop again, especially when Sidon recalled Link’s injuries from last month when the Champion _had_ needed extensive medical care. Or the two weeks before that when Link had returned to the Domain battered and on his last legs. Or the time before that when he’d been so dehydrated he hadn’t been able to move for days.

And those were just naming a few. Sidon had a long list of extensive injuries Link had shown up with over the last two years. It was worse than it had ever been before the downfall of Calamity Ganon. He knew because often it seemed Link wouldn’t collapse or fall unconscious — if he was still conscious — until he first found his way to Sidon.

“We should worry about him then,” Sidon said, though the way he said his words left it interpretive; a question or a statement. He waited to see what the Rito would say.

“I’d say so,” Teba said as if to answer the question he heard, instead of the statement Sidon had meant. “After Ganon, there shouldn’t be a thing in Hyrule which could beat him, at least not easily. If there was, it means there’s a new threat, or he’s not trying anymore. And I don’t think there’s anything worse than Calamity Ganon.”

“Neither do I,” agreed Sidon with a tight voice as he reached for his wine, hoping it would ease the discomfort away. Teba either didn’t notice or politely ignored the tell. Sidon tipped his chalice back, finishing off the drink with a final swallow. He sighed heavily before placing the cup on the table again.

“If it was possible,” Teba mused, eyes thoughtful as they both watched Link take Princess Zelda about again. “I’d suggest someone _make_ Link see what he’s doing to himself. Find a way to give him a reason to see things differently.”

The Rito rose to his feet and straightening his tunic and feathers. Again, topaz met gold. “But Link is Link. I think it would take a powerful force to make him do something like that. Until then, all we can do is be there for him. Help him in whatever way we can.”

Sidon sighed again and tried not to fret, even as he nodded in agreement. For now, it seemed like that was the only option available to them.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Teba said as his eyes lightened. “I have a wife who’s giving me a look that’s telling me if I don’t take her for a dance, I’ll regret it.”

“By all means,” Sidon replied with a ready smile. “I’m sure you’ll see me out there soon enough, my friend.”

Teba made his way into the throng of people now moving toward the courtyard where light and lively music drew merriment and happiness out of everyone as if by spell. Watching them, so many races mingling and smiling made Sidon’s heart lighten, despite the dark dinner conversation. He could no longer see Link, though he occasionally caught sight of Princess Zelda. Sidon hoped the hero was enjoying himself, wherever he was.

A tap on the Zora’s wrist drew his attention, and Sidon’s smile grew true and great when he saw it was Link. The Hylian took Teba’s vacated chair, hands and arms already moving as he began to sign with animation. Sidon forced himself to pretend he didn’t notice Link’s wounds — harder now, given how evident they were since Link was so close. Instead, he watched as the Hero of Hyrule lifted an eyebrow at him, then flicked his blue eyes toward the courtyard questioningly.

“Later, my friend,” Sidon said by way of reply. “I treat dancing like swimming. Best not to do it too soon after eating. Why not you? I’m sure there are many here who would appreciate a dance with the man who saved Hyrule. You were just out there with Princess Zelda, after all.”

Link gave a wan smile before shrugging and propping his chin on his hand to watch the dancing. Like that, the firelight around them played games with the shadows in Link’s hair, and his blue eyes sparkled like the waters in Zora’s Domain on a beautiful, sunny day.

It was the most relaxed Sidon had seen the Hylian Champion in some time, though that brilliant light in Link’s eyes was still missing, and the bandage around his wrist was showing again. Sidon saw it extended far below the cuff of Link’s tunic.

Sidon gave Link a bright smile.

“Then you must tell me of your most recent adventures,” Sidon insisted, and Link’s wan smile pulled into an impish grin as the tiniest flicker of light rekindled in those blue eyes. It made Sidon’s heart flutter with hope, but he calmed it before it could fan itself into a blaze. “What were you, Princess Zelda, and Chief Riju speaking about that made you blush so deeply, earlier?”

As Sidon predicted, a faint blush appeared on the hero’s cheeks and on the tips of his ears. Link waved his hand as if to wave the question away, and Sidon grinned as Link began to gesture his explanation, then sign what he’d been up to since he’d last left Zora’s Domain.

Sidon smiled and exclaimed and encouraged at all the right parts, but his attention was only half there. The other half kept catching on the small signs of damage Link sported; of injury and pain. He kept coming back to his conversation with Teba.

The Rito’s semi-joking suggestion that perhaps someone _make_ Link see what he was doing to himself repeated in his mind, over and over. That someone should stop Link before something killed the hero … or he let it.

And though Sidon had no right to think it, the Zora wondered if, perhaps, he might be the one to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to know what you thought!


	2. Reckless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, the enthusiasm I've received for this story has given me heart-eyes! Over a hundred kudos, almost fifty subscriptions and such wonderful reviews in the span of five days??? YOU GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE! I can only hope you'll think my story is good enough to keep this enthusiasm going.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It was three weeks after the banquet when Sidon saw Link again in the Zora’s Domain, and he was beyond delighted. Not only had Link come to visit him while he took a small break in his travels to check the peace of the Domain, but the hero had come uninjured as well. Compared to the battered states Link had appeared in more recent arrivals, this was a welcome change.

What the Hylian hid under his clothing, however, was likely a different matter. It also didn’t mean Link wasn’t putting on a show, which Sidon knew he was prone to do.

“Link, my greatest friend!” Sidon swept the hero’s hands in his and held them tight. “I was hoping you’d find your way back sometime soon. You’ve had safe travels, I pray?”

Link’s smile was broad and openhearted, and after squeezing Sidon’s much larger hands in returned, he pulled away so he could gesture.

_I’d say so. The roads have been clean, with the Hylian Guard on patrol. No matter where I’ve gone, the threats I’ve encountered have been small. Wolves, or a bokoblin or two. Hyrule certainly seems safer, that’s for sure._

While Link gestured, Sidon studied his body language carefully. For the most part, he appeared hopeful and pleased with the state of things, as they were.

But for a single moment, Sidon had seen a flash of something like disappointment in those expressive blue eyes. Maybe even frustration.

“This is good news!” Sidon exclaimed as he waved Link further into the Domain, hiding his concern. “After five years of hard work, Hyrule is recovering steadily.”

 _It is,_ Link agreed. _Soon there will be no need of me._

Sidon’s eyes flickered toward the hero, but Link didn’t notice, not when the glow of his eyes had darkened with the signed statement.

“I believe there will always be need of you, somewhere,” Sidon supplied softly. “Perhaps it will be in a way you’ve never expected? If Hyrule is safe, perhaps you will have the chance to do whatever it is you desire.”

Link gave him a smile. _I’m already doing that. I travel. I have freedom. I’m a knight and a hero. I just … haven’t been able to be as much a knight or hero lately._

“Well, you’ll always be the best knight and hero to me, Hero of Hyrule!” Sidon said brightly before his features gentled. “I’m never going to forget what you’ve done, Link. I don’t think anyone will.”

The Hylian laughed. _They’re already telling stories about me as if they’re legends. Did you know there’s a village in the west who believe the Hero of Hyrule is just something the princess made up? They don’t believe what happened. Not after everything that happened, or even when I tell them the truth._

“Then they are a people whose history is filled with lies, my friend.” The Zora lifted his hand to indicate all of Zora’s Domain in its shining beauty and shifting waters. “We are not. As a matter of fact, I believe our problem might _be_ our long memory, as I’m sure you know.” Sidon gazed at the Hylian with respect. “Rest assured of that. You will never have anything to prove here.”

Surprise filled Link’s blue eyes, then a small, tired smile pulled his lips. He touched Sidon’s arm, just beside his fin.

 _Thank you, Sidon. That means a lot to me._ A blush swept across Link’s cheeks as his stomach rumbled, and he lifted his hand to run it across his neck, embarrassment in his eyes. _Sorry. I was in such a hurry to get here that I ran out of food on the way. Is there anywhere I can get something? I’d kill for some trout right about now._

Prince Sidon grinned.

“Say no more, my friend. You’re in luck! I was about to send for dinner myself. Would you honor me with your company?” As an afterthought, Sidon added, “It’s all right if you’d prefer otherwise, I won’t be offended—”

Link’s hands waved rapidly. The tired, embarrassed smile he’d been wearing replaced itself with a great one, encompassing his whole face and transforming him. _I’d love to dine with you! But I hope I’m not intruding._

The Zora chuckled at Link, dropping a hand to the Hylian’s shoulder. “You are never intruding.”

Sidon’s gaze was nothing but care and honesty, and under his palm, he felt Link’s taut muscles relax. Warmth appeared in his eyes, and though it made him look tired again, it was also an honest look. A relieved one Sidon felt special to have seen.

“Prince Sidon, may I speak with you about something?”

They tore their eyes away from each other to see Laflat standing beside them. Sidon’s hand slipped from the firm warmth of Link’s shoulder as he gave her his attention. Laflat’s eyes widened before she covered her mouth.

“Oh! Pardon me. I didn’t realize you were already speaking with someone. I’m so sorry to interrupt you and Master Link! I can come back later.”

“It’s all right,” Sidon assured, an energetic smile on his face. How could he not be energetic when Link had agreed to dine with him? He hoped it would encourage Link to spend several more days in the Domain, with him. But he could take a moment for this. “What is it Laflat? What do you need?”

“Oh, really it’s nothing new,” she insisted. “One of the children just told me there’s a dare going around to see who can get closest to the Lynel without running. I just wanted you to know there’s a possibility that someone’s going to try.”

“This may be nothing new, but it is a serious matter. I thought lessons had been learned when Narin returned in the state he had.” Sidon frowned. “I’ll speak with the guards about this. Let them know to keep an eye out for anyone attempting to make their way there. I’ll also have a message sent around to parents, encouraging them to speak with their children and dissuade any attempts. We wouldn’t want the children to start thinking it’s a good idea.”

“Thank you, Prince Sidon.” Laflat gave a grateful smile to Link too. “Master Link. I hope you both have a good evening.”

They watched her go, and Sidon looked down at the Hylian Champion after he’d tapped his wrist.

“What is it, my friend?”

_Lynel?_

The cold trickle of discomfort slipped along the bottom of Sidon’s stomach.

“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Sidon said with a confident grin. “This dare comes and goes with each wave of youth. They believe it’s impressive to tempt the Lynel, and quickly learn how wrong they are. If we leave the Lynel alone, it leaves us alone.” He dropped a hand onto the Hylian’s shoulder again and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Trust me, my friend. It’s nothing you should concern yourself with. You’re here as my guest. Relax! Enjoy yourself! You do enough. Take a moment for you.”

Sidon led him in the direction of food, remembering Link’s earlier comment about craving trout. Link put up no resistance. He even smiled and nodded in agreement.

But Sidon caught the way the Hylian’s eyes flicked toward the Lynel’s dwelling high on the cliffs. He saw something dark sweep across the hero’s eyes. A thought. Potential. A mind becoming preoccupied with plans.

Even as Sidon called for food to be brought to a dining chamber, he resolved to keep the hero in sight and distracted. He hoped it would be nothing. Sidon hoped he was merely seeing things, and that he was wrong to worry. That this was nothing.

“Tell me of your recent travels, my friend.”

Link’s eyes lightened, and if there had been dark intent in that gaze, it was gone with one request. The Hylian began to trace elaborate and exuberant gestures in the air and across his body, telling Sidon about his trip from the west and the new sights Link had stumbled upon in his search for a hidden band of thieves.

* * *

 

Prince Sidon knew he’d made a mistake when Link told him he wanted to visit Kodah while the Zora Prince conducted business with one of the Zora Elders. Sidon had intended it to be a quick break, nothing more, so he and Link could relax in the royal family’s private hot spring after the long day. He’d been confident it wouldn’t take long and, after all, Kodah was likely to hold Link there at the inn and talk his ear off for some time. Sidon hadn’t had reason to worry.

But the conversation had evolved into a debate, one Sidon hadn’t been able to end easily. It had grown long and by the time the matter was settled, late afternoon had aged into late evening, and the moon was rising full and shining in the sky.

Link was nowhere to be found, and it was a struggle not to let panic for his dearest friend grow in his soul. Patience and a calm mind would lead Sidon to answers faster than worry induced actions. He would find the hero.

Sick as it made him, he asked the guards on patrol if they’d seen the Hylian. To his relief, the first three told him they hadn’t. At least, not recently. It was a bittersweet balm, but the longer the search stretched, the worse his instincts began gnawing at him.

Then he spoke with Bazz.

“Bazz, have you seen Link?”

“Master Link?” The Captain of the Guard’s brow furrowed as he thought before his eyes widened in remembrance. “Yes, actually. I believe I saw him heading toward Mikau Lake half an hour ago, my prince.”

Icy dread spread rapidly along Prince Sidon’s stomach.

“Did he tell you where he was going?”

“No, my prince. But he had all his belongings with him. His weapons and armor. I thought he’d completed his visit and was leaving again.” Bazz’s features grew concerned. “Prince Sidon, is something wrong?”

“No,” Sidon said decisively, pulling on a quick smile and hoping it worked to relieve his captain. “Nothing’s wrong. There was something I needed to give him before he left. It’s important.” Sidon turned and jogged to the nearest dive ledge, heart pounding. “If anyone asks, I’ll be looking for him. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

If Bazz said anything in response, Sidon missed it as he jumped and dove into the waiting waters below. With powerful kicks, he rapidly crossed Zora’s Domain and swam up the falls to the cliffs above.

When the Zora surfaced, he wasn’t surprised Link was nowhere to be found. Though he hoped, though he _prayed_ he was wrong, Sidon suspected he knew where he’d find the Hero of Hyrule. He should have listened to his instincts when Laflat mentioned the Lynel. He should never have left Link alone. He’d bet anything that’s where he would find the hero.

And Sidon knew he was right as, with each waterfall he scaled and hill he climbed closer to the Lynel’s home, he heard the tell-tale sounds of fighting. Of battle. Of roars and shouts and grunts of concentration and pain.

When Sidon finally arrived at the Lynel’s dwelling, he was sick to find the Hylian staggering, reeling from an electric shock after accidentally standing in water when a shock arrow had landed too close. The Lynel was charging, and Link’s gritted teeth shown as bright as his sword did where he held it raised in the moonlight.

Calculating with eyes trained for strategy and battle, Sidon saw who was the better in this fight, and his heart squeezed when he was sure it wasn’t the Hylian Champion.

Sidon did the first thing he could think of. In his haste, he’d come with no weapons. Thankfully, there were plenty around, lodged in the trees.

“Link!” Sidon shouted, catching both monster and hero’s attention as he leapt to a high stone. “Get out of the water!”

Link reacted instantly, scrambling away, but the Lynel changed directions to charge at Sidon, bow raised with deadly intent. Sidon clenched his hold on the shock arrow in his hand before he threw it point first into the water before the creature.

It didn’t do much, and in truth, he hadn’t expected it to. What it did do, however, was stun the creature long enough so Sidon could leap off his stone and sprint to where Link stood with his sword raised, the hero’s face a grimace of determination. Behind Sidon, he heard the Lynel’s hooves beat into the earth.

“Run,” Sidon barked as he caught up with the hero. He cast his eyes back on the Lynel as it thundered toward them, it’s bow raised and arrows nocked. He shoved at the Hylian, grabbing hold of his arm and hauling him forward. “Run!”

An arrow whizzed past, whistling and crackling with power before it sunk deep into the dirt before them, inches from where Link had been. Adrenaline pumped through Sidon’s muscles, his mind sharpening as he raced Link up the hill, higher and higher, all the way to the cliff’s edge.

The Hylian shot him a quick look, inquiring and worried as another arrow whistled past so close Sidon felt the static crackle as it brushed his skin, making him hiss with the jolt. It missed though.

The only thing on Sidon’s mind was getting to the edge. Safety would be found there. The Lynel wouldn’t follow if they made it that far.

“Use your paraglide to get to safety!” Sidon yelled as the open air grew before them, the dark lake of the reservoir seeming to rush to meet them. “I’ll meet you on the pier nearest the Domain. You know the one!”

Sidon released Link and prepared. The edge gaped. He moved so swiftly toward it he couldn’t make out the words on the sign warning everyone that jumping off Shatterback Point was dangerous. Deadly.

Not that it mattered to him.

No rapid gestures imparted meaning to Sidon. There wasn’t time for that. Instead, together, he and Link took a final step onto the very edge of the tallest cliff of the Domain and threw their bodies into open air. Link’s paraglide was already in his hand, his breath loud beside Sidon. The hero dropped in time with the Zora before he threw it out and was jerked away, buoyed by the air.

Sidon didn’t watch Link fly away, not when he had his own threat to focus on below. Years of practice ensured Sidon’s posture was perfect as he plummeted through the air in a dive which would kill normal races. A dive like this might even kill normal Zora.

But it wouldn’t kill him.

That didn’t mean, when he collided with the surface of the deep waters of the reservoir, he was unaffected. Far from it. Though he could survive the dive from Shatterback Point, the force with which he broke the surface was devastating. The oxygen in his body beat itself out of his lungs, and the impact his crest took that his hands hadn’t been able to pave the way for disoriented and dazed him.

Time lost all meaning as the cool water enclosed around him, curled him away from the world as he placidly waited for higher consciousness to return. He drifted through the water, limp and motionless, unsure which way lay upwards and which led to the floor below. With eyes half open and oxygen starved in his daze, the darkness of the reservoir was like a blanket. A blanket encouraging him to close his eyes and sink into unconsciousness. To forget the world and the person who was waiting for him above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, cliffhangers. You readers hate them. I adore them. I warn you now that this is not the first cliffhanger you're going to experience in this story >:] Still, I hope you'll stick with me through all of them. I think the story'll be worth it.
> 
> On a more logistical note, this, admittedly, is a short chapter but stay on your toes! The next one is twice as long and filled with angst and emotion (and perhaps just a flash of spice), and if I see the same sort of enthusiasm I saw for chapter one, just *maybe* I'll post the next chapter sooner than I plan ;]
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you thought!


	3. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for the enthusiasm and support this story has gotten so early on! Here's the third chapter, a little earlier than I planned, as promised.
> 
> Enjoy!

Sidon wasn’t sure how long he was under the water, lost in his mind until the daze finally wore off. When it did, however, he found himself curled in the darkness of the reservoir with the surface glittering above; the moon a distant star.

Then he remembered Link.

Heaving his body, Sidon turned and kicked his powerful legs, rushing through the water while becoming more aware as the action drove oxygen through his gills and throughout his body. He spotted the correct pier in the moonlight and knew it was the right one when he saw a body floating in the water near it, kicking in circles as if searching for something.

Or, searching for him.

“Link,” Sidon said as he surfaced, shedding water as he caught the Hylian around the waist and deposited him on his back so he wouldn’t drown. “Hold on.”

Link’s hands clung to his shoulders, and with another kick, they were at the pier. Sidon waited until the Hylian had pushed himself up onto the dock before he let himself do the same. Drenched as the hero was, even in the darkness, Sidon could make out his gestures.

_You were down there so long. I was starting to worry. That jump should have killed you!_

“Not me,” Sidon corrected as he staggered to his feet, running a hand over his face, then over the leading edge of his crest. It was tender. He hoped he hadn’t bruised it. “I’ve jumped from there before. I knew I’d be fine.” Sidon trailed his eyes over Link. “Are you alright?”

Link’s eyes widened, the whites of them almost glowing in the moonlight. _Yes,_ he signed. _I’m fine. Just a little beat up. Nothing a day’s rest won’t cure._ Link climbed to his feet, water flowing off him in rivers, leaving him drenched. _I need to get out of these._

“Come on,” Sidon replied, nodding toward the shadowed awning. “We can rest there. I think I’ve left some blankets from an earlier visit. You can use them to dry off and keep warm.”

Making his way toward the awning which housed the bed he sometimes used, back when Vah Ruta had rampaged and he’d felt compelled to keep an eye on it, he listened as Link followed him. The hero’s sack of supplies, his armor, and his weapons were already waiting there, thrown everywhere in what was evident of a haphazard rush to get into the water as quickly as possible. Sidon stepped around them to reach into a cabinet and pull out a pair of blankets. Link was already stripping out of his sopping clothing by the time he’d turned around.

Sidon tried not to stare. He wasn’t successful.

The hero’s skin glowed in the pale moonlight, the light slipping over the plains of his flesh to create white peaks and shadowed lowlands across his body. It made him look like some mythical creature straight out of a legend, an untouchable one gracing Sidon’s presence like a long-desired temptation. Taken by surprise by the unexpected sight, Sidon glanced down and saw he’d accidentally punched a hole through the coarse fabric of the blanket. Ignoring it, he relaxed his grip before taking a breath and approaching the Hylian.

But when he neared, he saw that the lovely moon-bleached flesh wasn’t as unblemished as it had appeared further away. Scars dappled Link’s body, old and new, and he watched with a hard heart as Link began unwinding the wet remains of bandages that had been wound tight around his chest, hidden under his clothing. The soft remains of half-healed wounds puckered across his side and up his back, and the way the hero flinched told Sidon he likely had a few bruised, cracked, or even broken ribs.

So, he had been right after all.

Sidon handed Link the blanket. “Here.”

 _Thank you_ , Link gestured after wringing out his hair and stepping out of the puddle of reservoir water and discarded clothing. He took the small blanket gratefully to dry himself off.

“Where are your bandages?”

The hero froze as if realizing too late that he’d shown Sidon something he hadn’t intended, before giving him a cautious look and nodding to the side pocket of his pack. Once Sidon found the roll of bandages — disconcerting given there were hardly any medical supplies left there at all — he motioned for Link to stand in front of him and knelt to bridge their heights.

“Stand still. I’ll put them on.”

 _I can do it,_ Link signed with a firm look. _It’s nothing. They look worse than they are_.

Under normal circumstances, the Zora would have done as the Hylian asked. After all, he had no say in the hero’s health or autonomy. Sidon was only a friend and companion. He didn’t have the right to do more. Be more.

But that had been before he’d found the truth about Link for himself.

With a stoic face, Sidon prodded Link’s ribs gently, and the hiss of pain and the flinch back spoke loud enough on its own.

“Your adrenaline is wearing off, my friend. I doubt you have the dexterity to do it yourself. Now, tell me the truth so I know how tight I need to bind them. Are your ribs broken?”

Even in the darkness, he could see Link’s jaw tighten, and he placed a hand on his ribs as if contemplating what to say. After a moment, he jerked his head to the side. _No. Just bruised._

A tiny curl of relief slipped sympathetically along Sidon’s own ribcage, but he forced his face blank. With deft fingers, he unspooled the tiny bandages and carefully reached around the hero, winding them under Link’s arms and over his shoulder with smooth motions. This close he could smell Link. His scent told Sidon things he knew the Hylian would never tell him. Though masked by the reservoir water, he scented pain. Unease.

The faintest touch of arousal.

 _You’re good at that,_ Link commented when Sidon was finished testing the bindings.

“It’s one of the few things I remember from my sister,” Sidon admitted as he tucked away what little remained of the roll of bandages, reminding himself later to replace them with more. “She thought it was important that I know the basics of first aid, and would teach them to me when she had the spare time. So that when I got into trouble, I’d be able to patch myself up until she could get to me.”

 _You must’ve gotten into a lot of trouble,_ Link gestured with a weak smirk, a half-hearted attempt at distracting humor.

“I was an … aggressive child,” Sidon admitted. “Very active. I got into my fair share of trouble and often needed to be healed. Mipha was always so worried. When she was gone … I had to take my self-care much more seriously.” A sad smile pulled at his lips. “There was no one to look out for me and wipe away my scars anymore.”

Silence filled the air between them, the ghost of Mipha lingering there as Link glanced away. Sidon sighed before urging the Hylian to sit on the bed to take the stress off his body. Link did so reluctantly, grimacing as he settled on the mattress. Seeing that, Sidon put a hand against his back to give him something to lean against in support. Slowly, Link accepted the help and leaned back with a grateful sigh.

_Thank you._

They sat next to each other for some time, looking out across the water glowing silver in the moonlight. Even from here, the ambient sound of the reservoir brushing against the pier provided a soothing backdrop, and Sidon closed his eyes and listened. How many times in the last hundred years had he come here to be soothed by that specific sound? Too many to count.

He wished it would do as it always did, and soothe his soul. But with Link beside him like this, after challenging the Lynel when his body was still broken from who knew what … it did not.

“Why did you go after the Lynel?” Sidon asked, breaking the silence between them. “There was no reason to do so.”

 _To keep your people safe_ , Link replied after shifting into the moonlight so it was easier to make out his gestures. _It’s a dangerous creature. I was being proactive, trying to protect the Zora and the Domain before it needed protecting. Before some foolish kid decided they wanted to bite off more than they could chew._

“Like you did?”

Link sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes suddenly sharp as they glared at Sidon. _I had it under control before you arrived._

The Zora didn’t say anything in response, only stroked a thumb gently against the hero’s back as if to calm him again.

“So, you were helping to protect the people of my kingdom?” Sidon said softly, and Link relaxed before nodding. “I thank you for that, and for taking it upon yourself to keep the Zora safe. I am deeply appreciative.” He let his words slip away as he looked down again to hold the hero’s eyes. “But was it the only reason?”

Link froze, his arms drooping before rising again in question. _What do you mean_?

Sidon’s eyes held his, letting the Hylian see the knowing in his gaze. “You know what I mean, Link. Aiding my people, it is an honorable reason for facing the Lynel. But that isn’t why you went up there.”

 _Yes, it was,_ Link said. _There was no other reason._

“Is that true?” Sharp nails bit into the palm of Sidon’s free hand, helping to keep his mind razor sharp with focus. “Because the reasonable thing to have done was leave it alone. It’s been up there, Link, most of my life. So long as no one bothers it, it doesn’t bother anyone else.”

_I was being proactive—_

“Then you went injured,” Sidon continued. “The Lynel is not a creature anyone should take on at less than full strength. Even I would think twice before doing so.”

 _It was nothing,_ Link gestured, his eyes hardening. _I defeated Calamity Ganon—!_

“With the Master Sword, the blessings of the past Champions, the protection of the Goddess Hylia and Princess Zelda, and the support of five nations!”

Sidon’s words hadn’t been loud, but they carried a great deal of weight. Link’s arms fell.

“You had so much support to do it, Link,” Sidon said more gently. “But tonight, you went up to face the Lynel half-beaten and alone. You’re a better tactician than that, my friend.”

His voice softened, and the palm that rested on the hero’s back slipped up to hold one of Link’s shoulders.

“I know what you’re doing,” Sidon murmured. “Link … this must stop.”

Link’s lips pulled down into an agonized grimace that shown vividly in the moonlight. The Hylian shook his head, his breath starting to race, and Sidon frowned as he watched Link’s gestures carefully. The anxiety racing through the Hylian expressed itself not only in the choppy motions and muted slaps against his body as he gestured, but in the smell in the air as well. Cold and sour.

 _I’m not doing anything. Nothing’s wrong_ , Link insisted with broken gestures. _I’m fine_.

“You’re not,” Sidon pressed, wondering if Link even realized how much agony etched itself on his expressive face. “Link, I wasn’t sure before, but I am now. You’re self-destructing.”

The agony morphed in an instant. Sidon clenched his jaw when he saw vicious fury flash across those blue eyes, and the Hylian shoved his arm off before standing away from him. Link’s gestures became violent and forceful, his way of shouting even as he bared his teeth. His breath was heavy in the air.

 _I’m saving people. I’m still a hero! I am_ fine!

“I never said you weren’t still a hero,” Sidon said with a touch of sadness as he spread his hands in an attempt to keep the Hylian calm. “But you’re not fine, my friend. You’re punishing yourself. You’ve _been_ punishing yourself for the last few years, ever since Calamity Ganon. Link. It’s over.”

 _It’s not!_ Link shot back. _He may be gone, but there’s still evil in this world. There’s still darkness that needs to be beaten, and who will do it if not me?_ I _have to do it!_

“No, you don’t. Not anymore.”

The Hylian hissed, teeth bared and body wound tight as if waiting for a fight. As if craving it.

_Yes, I do. Who else is there? I’m the Hero of Hyrule! I’m the Champion! I have to save everyone. It’s what I was born for!_

Sidon’s eyes hardened, his chin lifting in defiance. “Then who saves you, hero? When do you get to let go of your responsibilities? When have you given enough?”

Link’s blue eyes were cold as the truth sat there, bare and obvious.

_You know when._

“So, you’re going to take outrageous risks, then? You’re going to put yourself in the way of danger? Wait for something to finally kill you?” Sidon rose to his feet, towering over the Hylian as his own teeth shown sharp in the darkness. “You must see, my friend, that I can’t let that happen!”

 _I never asked for your help,_ Link gestured violently. _I don’t want it, Sidon!_ Shedding the blanket, the Hylian began stalking toward his gear. Watching, a flash of insight swept through Sidon’s mind, and he knew if Link got to his gear, if he left now, like this, he might never see the Hylian again.

Not alive, anyway. And the thought of that, Link lying dead or dying somewhere far from anyone, alone and filled with so much emotional pain that it would be a relief to die ….

Sidon _couldn’t._

“No, Link.” Sidon extended his arm and latched onto Link’s shoulder before jerking him back forcefully against his chest, taking advantage of the Hylian’s smaller stature to manhandle him onto the bed where they both fell with a flop. “I’m not letting you go. Not when you’re like this.”

Sidon steeled himself for the struggle as he clamped an arm around Link’s waist and wove a leg over and under both of the Hylian’s to lock them in place. With his free hand, he covered the hero’s eyes and held his head tight against his shoulder as Link thrashed. His arms flailed, fists pounded, and despite the Champion’s diminutive size Sidon almost lost his hold twice.

All the while Link’s heartrate skyrocketed, his breath erratic and rapid. If this didn’t end soon, the Hylian would work himself into such a state he’d drive himself to unconsciousness. And though that was an acceptable alternative, when Link woke up, he would still be in the same mindset. He’d still be seeped in these dark thoughts and tendencies. Somehow Sidon had to break through that darkness, get him to calm down on his own. But how? How did he push through Link’s stubborn will? Break through these violent emotions to find his mind? Recapture his attention?

Sidon’s thoughts shifted as he posed the question to himself. If he were in this state, what would break through his own fury? The answer, he realized, was simple. Brutal. Deadly.

The threat of death, real and waiting.

Prince Sidon refused to let himself think and instead simply moved. He opened his jaws wide, rows of jagged teeth bared, and carefully clamped around the column of Link’s small neck; tight enough to threaten, but not tight enough to pierce skin.

That beastly part of Sidon couldn’t help but notice how disturbingly easy it was to do. In a dark sort of way, it was a perfect fit. As if Sidon _should naturally_ be able to all but wrap his teeth around the slim necks of Hylians. The flesh of Link’s throat pressed against his tongue, the Adam’s apple bobbing with one hard, long swallow as the hero froze. Sidon tasted salt, sweat, and though his teeth pressed carefully in a deadly ring about the Hylian’s neck, he tasted no blood.

Held like this, entirely at his mercy, Sidon finally felt Link’s muscles begin to unwind. His breath slowed, adopting a pattern which matched Sidon’s own as the Zora breathed through his teeth. Against his tongue, Sidon felt Link’s pulse slow from a thundering gallop to a sedate, calmed flow, and the hands which clung to his wrist, to the crest of his head, they clutched at him, but it wasn’t in a manner that indicated he felt threatened. Sidon smelled and tasted no fear.

Link clung to him as if he didn’t want Sidon to let go.

The Hylian took a deep, slow breath, letting it escape his mouth as a surprised gasp that vibrated from his chest. He took another breath, his body relaxing further, and Sidon’s grip loosened in response. With his eyes closed, he concentrated on staying perfectly still so he wouldn’t hurt the Hylian accidentally. This close, with his deadly teeth instants from sinking in, anything could go wrong.

All he’d wanted was to calm the Champion down — this man who could face any danger without flinching. It made sense to Sidon that a man who’d spent his entire life fighting, getting injured, and with all the pressure of the world on his shoulders would need something … stronger. Deadlier. Darker. For months now, Sidon had started to wonder; puzzle it out. It was just a suspicion, but he thought it was possible Link was doing these dangerous adventures because he needed the intensity. The danger, the thrill, the pain, whatever it was, Sidon was coming to believe that at some point the Hylian Champion had come to _need_ it.

The rush.

And the fact that Link was perfectly calm, practically relaxed with Sidon’s teeth locked around his neck, was proving his theory correct.

That hand around the edge of his crest released slowly, slipping along the back of Sidon’s head, then under his tail, the touch feather-light and warm. Intimate. The scent of desire slipped into the air, and the Zora couldn’t help the delicate shiver which ran through his body; a shiver he had to focus through to avoid clamping down even a tiny bit more. Sidon had spent many years learning to control his base urges, but blood was still a gamble. Most times it meant nothing to him, or did little more than catch his attention and nudge his appetite.

Sometimes, however, it called the beast within. Risked starting a blood-frenzy, and though he wished he could say the taste of Link’s blood wouldn’t excite him, instinct was hard to ignore. That would be a line he’d be hard-pressed not to cross, a line which could lead to more than one thing. But so long as Sidon was careful, so long as he was in control—

Link’s hand clamped down on the back of Sidon’s neck, and the small motion was just enough to cause a sharp tooth to nick skin. The Zora breathed it in only moments before it touched his tongue, but by then it was already too late.

Blood. Link’s blood.

For a moment Prince Sidon’s mind vanished, his control wavering as the coppery taste of blood curled along his tongue and overwhelmed him. It was so … _good_. Already his tongue swept around the slopes of the neck in his mouth, poking and prodding at each point of his teeth, trying to find the breach and within moments he found it.

_Goddess._

That rich taste slid along the length of his tongue back to his throat, and he couldn’t stop the satisfied groan which rolled from his chest. A groan he felt resound from the Hylian in his grasp. It excited him as his own desire began to match the arousal already edging the air, and Sidon felt heat grow molten down his spine, pooling low in his body with want. More. He wanted more. It would be so easy, to bite down a little harder, break the lining of the Hylian’s flesh, savor the heady taste of that blood like the finest wine, flip the hero over, rip his clothing off, and—

Link’s hand on the back of Sidon’s neck pulled harder as the hero arched his body, lengthening and exposing more of his throat. The action forced his neck to press against Sidon’s teeth harder, and another potent trickle of blood pooled in the Zora’s mouth like a blessing.

The urge was there. He could bite down and _take._ Sidon knew Link wouldn’t stop him.

It was that thought which broke through the growing haze, and Sidon blinked and wrangled control back from the dark beast of his mind. Carefully he pulled his teeth away, causing Link to wiggle and grunt as he attempted to pull Sidon back, to force his mouth over Link’s vulnerable neck again. But the Zora was stronger and refused to budge.

“That, Link,” Sidon growled as he pulled slightly away, his voice rough and husky, even as he swallowed what was left of the decadent blood in his mouth down. “Is a very dangerous game to play with me.”

He wondered if his eyes showed the Hylian just how close he’d been. He was sure his eyes contained more black than gold in them by now. Black with desire. Black with hunger.

A heavy blush sat across the Hylian’s cheeks, Link’s eyes more pupil than blue iris. His gestures were smooth and enticing in a way Sidon had never seen the gentle and openhearted Champion display before. Coy. Seductive. Enticing. Link smirked at him.

_I like dangerous games._

Sidon could see that, as evident from the bulge which had grown between the hero’s legs, under his trousers. What was worse was that for Sidon … the appeal was strong. He was _made_ for dangerous games. Dark games like the ones the hero was clearly interested in with him, and the temptation beat at his control. Urged him. How many times at night in the sanctuary of his private chambers had he considered a scenario like this? One in which he and the Hero of Hyrule were alone and Link was his and at his mercy as they sought pleasure? Truthfully, more than he should. It might border on shameful.

But much as he wanted what Link was willing to offer, pleasure wasn’t what the Hylian was attempting to entice him into right now. If that _had_ been the case, Sidon might have agreed. But it wasn’t. He could see it in the set of Link’s eyes, the way his hope and longing were tinged with cold desperation Sidon could smell. The way that look of pleasure almost bordered on a sneer.

No. What Link wanted from him now wasn’t pleasure. It was punishment. Punishment like what he craved from all the monsters he faced every time he ventured into the wild.

And Sidon would not give it to him. Not like this.

“No.” Sidon’s hold on Link’s body tightened, and that coy look morphed into a glare, the look demanding a response. Sidon held the hand around Link’s chest tighter, his nails digging in a little and causing Link to gasp in both pleasure and pain.

“I can give you what you want,” the Zora Prince growled in response, dominating Link’s attention. “I can give you _everything_ you want.”

His narrowed gold eyes held the Hylian’s, and he let Link see the cool, dominating control Sidon hid away from the world, a promise of both pleasure and punishment. An experienced player in the game of domination and submission. He watched as Link’s pupils dilated wider, his beautiful mouth parting slightly with anticipation. Anticipation Sidon felt keenly himself.

But the prince pulled that look away, and instead let his dedicated concern replace that desire. He allowed it to show for all its intensity on his face and in his eyes.

“But I will not do it when you’re like this, my friend. Not when you _want_ me to hurt you as if I was just another monster you throw yourself against in battle. That isn’t what you _need._ ”

Link snarled at him, his gestures suddenly unreadable as he thrashed again, but Sidon was prepared this time. Again he locked his powerful legs around Link’s, binding them, and covered his eyes again as he held the Hylian firmly against his body. But this time instead of wrapping his teeth around that small neck, he wrapped a hand there instead, locking the rest of Link’s torso down along the line of Sidon’s forearm. He held him firmly, not enough to choke but enough for Link to feel thoroughly restrained.

Strong hands scrambled and pounded, yanked violently on Sidon’s arm fins enough to make him grit his teeth tightly. But despite the violence, he wouldn’t let go.

“I will not hurt you,” Sidon grunted into the Hylian’s ear as he continued to fight. “And I _won’t_ let you hurt yourself.”

The Zora’s voice tightened with worry, worry for what his friend was going through, worry that because of this, Sidon might lose his greatest friend. But he knew if he let Link go now, something terrible would happen. He didn’t know if the hero would vanish to the far reaches of Hyrule to find the deadliest dessert beast he could, or if he’d stay close and enrage the Lynel again. It didn’t matter. It would end the same, with Link injured. Maybe even to the point of death.

Sidon _could not_ simply let that happen. To stand by and do nothing as Link fought to death.

“Please,” Sidon begged. “My dearest friend. _Let me help you_.”

A sob burst out of Link’s mouth, replacing a savage growl that had been there only a moment earlier, and soon the thrashing, the violent rage, it was changing. The energy and impressive endurance the Hylian Champion possessed vanished, sucked out of him as if by some invisible siphon, and soon the body in Sidon’s arms was shaking, trembling, and starting to sob.

Prince Sidon couldn’t help it. With his dearest friend in such pain, such agony, his heart twisted. This wasn’t right. This one person in all Hyrule shouldn’t have so much suffering on his shoulders, not now. Sidon couldn’t help but whisper into Link’s hair, hush soothing words into his ear, words Sidon knew the Hylian needed to hear. He nuzzled the side of Link’s face, heart torn. Of everyone he knew, this one person deserved better than this. He deserved so much more.

Arms that had beaten at him now encircled the arm restraining Link’s torso into the pit of Sidon’s chest as if it was the only thing keeping the hero grounded. One small hand reached up and clung to the hand curled around Link’s neck, not to pull it away but to hold on desperately. Sidon’s heart broke at the need in such a tiny action, and he shifted his hand enough so Link’s fingers could grab hold with everything he had.

“I’ve got you,” Sidon whispered into Link’s hair as he felt tears turn the palm covering Link’s eyes slick. “It’s okay to let go, Link. I promise I have you.” Sidon’s throat tightened as he pressed his crest against the hero’s brow. “Trust me.”

It was as if, with just those two words, whatever resistance Link still clung to fell away, the fight in him dying as he gave in to Sidon. As he did, the Zora Prince listened in silent pain as Link sobbed and sobbed into the open night air, the sounds echoing and vanishing across the reservoir lake.

Through it all, Sidon held Link’s body immobile in the cradle of his larger one. He held the Hero of Hyrule carefully, unflinchingly as the Hylian shattered in his arms for a long, long time before finally succumbing to sleep.

* * *

 

Though he hadn’t opened his eyes, Sidon was pulled into awareness the moment Link moved, and then well into waking when he felt the Hylian shift out of his hold.

Judging from the sounds that filled the air and the darkness which pressed upon his eyelids, it was still well into the night, maybe only hours after Link’s breakdown in his arms. They’d both drifted to sleep together, Link curled tight against Sidon’s chest and, for a moment, the Zora had felt the Hylian’s peace.

But he’d also known that peace he’d worked so hard for had come at a price, a price he had to pay now. He’d shown Link what he could do for him. What he could give him, so willingly, eagerly, and now it was out of his hands. What he’d pulled out of Link, what the hero had needed from him last night … it might have been too much. A shock to the strong Hylian to find that what he needed most right now, was submission. For someone else to control him, for a while.

That sort of truth, Sidon knew it didn’t come easy. It wouldn’t surprise the Zora if it even terrified the Champion. In truth, he was terrified by the ease with which controlling the Hylian had come to him. How he’d just … known. It was darker behavior not only for Link but for Sidon as well, in comparison to his lively, princely demeanor. Yet, if it saved Link, he’d embrace these darker tendencies.

But only if Link truly wanted them. And that meant _letting_ the Hylian go, for good or ill. To make that decision himself.

So he listened as Link prepared for departure, imagining with his mind’s eye as the hero strapped on his armor, tugged on his boots, fixed his hair. Though they’d done nothing more than hold each other, Sidon felt as if they’d shared something more intimate than sex. He wondered if Link felt as soul-bared as he did.

When he heard Link pause, then sigh in his direction as if contemplating the virtues of waking him or not, Sidon couldn’t pretend any longer.

“Please. Think about what I’ve said tonight,” he told Link quietly over his shoulder. “I will not make you do anything, my friend, nor will I judge you for your decision. Leave, and I will let you go. Return, and I will do whatever I can to help you. If it’s control you want, I will control you, and take the opportunity to save you before you destroy yourself. And if it’s only friendship, then I will gladly continue to give that too. But whatever your decision may be, it also must be yours to make.”

Behind him the shuffling ceased, and though Sidon kept his eyes on the cliffs before him where they glowed in the dim moonlight, he heard Link’s footsteps near the bed. He felt the ambient heat of Link’s body where he stood close enough to reach out and touch. Sidon wanted to sweep his arm out, to drag the hero down again and never let him go … but he couldn’t. Not this time. He’d already done what he could. The next step had to be Link’s.

Disappointingly, the heat moved away, the footsteps retreating, and Sidon closed his eyes with a soft, sad sigh.

“My offer still stands, if you decide to change your mind,” he told the air, unsure if Link could hear him, or if he was even willing to listen at this point. “As I said, think about it.” Sidon chanced a look over his large shoulder, and his eyes caught guarded blue, even in the darkness. “You know where to find me.”

Their eyes held for a long, pregnant moment before Link reached for his pack and pulled it on. Then he turned and ran, fast and hard, toward the nearest cliff as he pulled out his paraglide and jumped into the sky. A moment later he vanished from view with only the echoing snap of the fabric to linger in the air.

Sidon sighed again and rolled onto his back to stare at the awning above before he got up and ran as fast and hard as the Hero of Hyrule just had. But instead of the cliffs, the Zora raced down the pier and dove into the deep depths of the reservoir. He swam, slipping through the water with speed and agility as if to leave his heart and his concerns behind him on the land, but it was no use. They stayed with him, locked in his chest like a persistent weight in the pit of his heart, and slowly he came to a stop below the surface at the center of the lake.

Above him the moon glowed, rippling with the motion of the water, casting ghostly light through the space around him. It bleached his vibrant coloring in stark shades of white and black. Changed the world.

Here under the water, there was silence. Nothing but himself and the fish in the water intent on giving him all the space he could desire. Sidon closed his eyes against the unease he felt in his chest and let his body hang motionless, his thoughts emptying out as he sent a quiet prayer to the Goddess. After what he’d experienced this night with Link, he prayed for the Hylian’s safety. He prayed that Link might find peace.

And most of all, Sidon prayed Link would change his mind and come back. That he would take him up on his offer. That Sidon could have a chance to _prove_ he could give the broken hero what he needed. Because if Link didn’t, Sidon suspected that the next time he saw the Hylian, it would be at his grave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Link come back? Is he gone for good? Guess, we'll be finding out in the next chapter ;]
> 
> Again, thank you everyone for your support/enthusiasm/comments/kudos/love! You're all so wonderful, and you're the reasons why I keep posting. I hope you keep it up! On a side note, I've thought about it and I've decided to start posting regularly on Mondays as a pick-me-up for the starts of the week. So keep an eye out on Mondays, if you haven't subscribed :]
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you thought about it!


	4. Submission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, ummm, so I know I said in Chapter 1 that the hot stuff was starting this chapter, but I might've gotten excited and accidentally misjudged where the sex would begin. 
> 
> Opps. The writing process is so very unpredictable.
> 
> Anyway, although the sexy-times don't officially start this chapter, this chapter is definitely the prelude to it and I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

It was a month, a long, grueling month of worrying, of waiting, of pulling on fake smiles Sidon knew worried many of his people before Link returned to the Domain. When he did, Sidon was beyond surprised to find the Hylian waiting patiently in the Prince’s own chambers when he retired for the evening.

“Link,” Sidon said in surprise as he closed the door behind him, unsure if he should react with his usual enthusiasm, or caution at the hero’s presence. “You returned.”

If Sidon had had a smile prepared, it would have fallen away because the Champion hadn’t looked up. It was clear Link was aware of Sidon’s presence, but all the Hylian appeared capable of doing was staring at his hands. Slowly the Zora approached, thinking of that night a month ago by the reservoir and the way Link had fallen apart. The way he’d left. What Sidon had offered.

Had he come to a decision?

Even when Sidon stopped a few feet away, the Hylian didn’t move. A frown developed on the Zora’s lips.

“Link?”

Finally, the Hylian Champion looked up at Sidon and what the Zora saw there shook him to his core. Blue eyes stared at him, studied him, traced him as if Link was looking at some impossible thing. A thing he _needed_. The hero swallowed, and Sidon watched the motion wordlessly. Waiting.

He didn’t have to wait long. Link stood, holding Sidon’s golden eyes with his own.

To Sidon’s surprise, Link did not remain that way.

_Take me_. Link gestured as he dropped to his knees, lowering himself until his head was level with Sidon’s thighs. _Please, Sidon. Take it away._

The Zora didn’t respond, not at first. Part of him couldn’t believe it. Link was here. He was _here_ , and he was asking for the very thing Sidon desired more than anything to give.

But Sidon needed to understand why, and what it was Link believed he could give him. Because if the Hylian’s answer still wasn’t right, if the hero had returned for the wrong reason … much as it would pain him, Sidon would send him away.

Sidon prayed it would not be the case.

“Take what away, Link?” the Zora Prince asked with an edge of fatigue. “What is it you want me to do?”

Link’s breath shuddered as his face pulled with an echo of agony. But his gestures were clear, and they made Sidon’s heart slam in his chest.

_Own me. I don’t want to be in control. What you did a month ago …._ The gestures faltered, and Link’s hands curled into fists. He held them close to his body before he forced them away to continue. _I can’t get it out of my head. Nothing’s been the same! You’re right. I’m falling apart, I have been for years now and when you_ did _that—_

Link’s gestures cut off again, his face desperate and the truth clear to see in his honest blue eyes. _Sidon, I have never felt so safe in my life._

The open admission and brutal honesty crashed into Sidon with such strength it was a struggle not to sweep the Hylian into his arms. To keep him and show him just _how much_ he cared. How much this mattered to him.

But Link had come back, and this time it appeared he’d returned for the right reason. And much as Sidon wanted to pick the hero up and protect him, treasure him, show him his worth, he knew that wasn’t what Link needed. Not right now. Perhaps in time. But not now.

Sidon stared at the vulnerable Hylian kneeling before him before lifting a hand to bury it in Link’s hair. As always, the feel of it bordered on shocking. Aside from animals who ventured into the water, hair and fur were foreign to the Zora since such qualities were all but useless in the water. His hands were accustomed to scales and slick flesh.

But the more he twisted the strands between his fingers, slow and rhythmic, the more Sidon found he liked the feel. It certainly wasn’t like silk. Link was too active for proper hair care, and fine soaps like what he’d heard the Hylian’s and Gerudo used were likely a luxury the hero didn’t care to waste on himself.

Perhaps, if this went well, he might convince the Champion otherwise. But until then, Link’s hair _was_ soft, and more than that, it was long. Long enough to grab hold of and control.

Just not quite yet.

“You trust me that much, my dearest friend?” Sidon asked as he continued to stroke Link’s hair, causing the Hylian to close his eyes and sigh at the ministrations. But when his silence edged on, and Link gave no indication he’d heard anything, Sidon frowned and tightened his hold on those golden locks. Link’s eyes fluttered at the sensation. “When I ask a question, I expect a response.”

Sidon watched Link’s pupils expand at the simple command, watched a small blush settle on his cheeks. The Hylian swallowed and nodded his reply.

_I hadn’t expected it. I … I couldn’t even believe it at first, which is why I stayed away. But yes. I trust you that much._

“Why?”

_Because you’re strong. You’re powerful._ Though his body had relaxed, it was Link’s eyes which told Sidon everything, even as he signed his answer. _When I needed you, you were there. You held me down and wouldn’t let me go when others would’ve. You can handle me. You care about me._ His eyes clenched closed, but he didn’t need them to gesture. _You won’t let me fall._

Sidon’s next breath was steady and careful because although he’d wanted to save Link, although he’d offered this … to see Link before him on his knees, begging him to do this … it spoke to him. That dark thing in Link which needed to be owned and controlled because of his immense responsibility, it pulled at the dark thing within himself which wanted to take and control.

Just like it called to the part of Sidon which would do anything to save the man before him. Anything at all, because this beloved Hylian deserved it.

Link deserved _everything_.

“Open your eyes, Link, and look at me.”

Without hesitation, the Hylian Champion did as Sidon told him to, and those blue eyes held his unflinchingly. They stared at each other, sharing without words and Sidon wondered if his deep care and adoration for Link were visible under the darker intent which layered it. He released his hold on the hero’s hair so he could slip his hand down a cheek and along Link’s jaw.

“I will do this. I want to do this for you. With you.” Sidon stroked a finger under Link’s eye and watched it flutter. The Hylian’s shoulders relaxed more than Sidon thought he’d ever seen the Hylian relax. All because he’d agreed to take control of him. It made Sidon’s body ache with want he forced himself to restrain. “But I need something first.”

_Anything,_ Link signed immediately. _Please, name it._

Sidon stroked under Link’s eye again, and the ocean-blue which stared back at him was hopeful, in need, afraid ….

“You will give me a motion,” he told the Hylian. “A gesture. A sign. And that sign will be your way of telling me to stop.”

Link’s eyes widened, then his brow furrowed as his arms moved.

_I’m giving myself to you,_ he told Sidon. _Do what you want with me. I won’t stop you._

The Zora eyed the Hylian, contemplating his next words.

“Perhaps,” Sidon allowed. “Perhaps you would let me do whatever I desired to you.” His gaze softened. “But I will not risk you. I will not risk this by going further than you can handle. I will own you. I will take your control from you. But Link, I will not break you.”

_What if I want to break?_ Link questioned with sharp motions. _What if I’m already so broken it doesn’t matter?_ His blue eyes turned pleading. _What if I want you to break me?_

“Then that will be out of your hands,” Sidon pointed out. “The point of this, Link, is that you give me control and I give you what you need. But I will not do it without first giving you the ability to tell me when it becomes too much.”

_It won’t become too much._

Sidon slowly lifted a brow, his eyes cooling. “Link. I am not a Hylian, nor am I like any Zora you have ever met.”

The hand cupping Link’s cheek eased down and Sidon wrapped his hand around the hero’s neck, his claws digging lightly into the delicate skin at the back. Link’s breath turned jagged, but he only tipped his chin higher to offer more of his throat. The physical display, the open submission of this vulnerable place called to the beast in Sidon. The heat of arousal sat low in his body like an ember filled with potential.

“For all my gentility, my friend,” Sidon continued. “I hide my own monsters. My own dark nature.”

His grip tightened and he hauled Link forward until he was on his toes, hands clutching at his forearm until their lips were only a breath away. But the look in Link’s eyes told Sidon he had the hero’s complete attention. The Zora’s eyes grew molten.

“Do not presume to know what you can handle, and what you can’t,” he whispered between them, his breath warming Link’s lips as his own skimmed the hero’s with every word. “Not when it comes to me.”

Link gasped, then gave a long, stifled groan as Sidon claimed the hero’s lips, his mouth, with possession. Though it wasn’t a forceful kiss, it was by no means gentle. It was commanding, demanding, relentless, and he battled and dominated the tongue Link fought him with the same promise he would once he began with the rest of the hero’s body. The Hylian melted in his hold, struggling to keep up while attempting his best all the same. Fire raced across Sidon’s flesh, igniting his senses, making them tingle with lust.

He fed it into the kiss, drawing it out, causing Link’s fingers to curl so tight into his arms that his nails left indentations. One even left a small cut which brought no small amount of pleasure to the Zora.

“If you’ve come to me, we do it my way,” Sidon said as he pulled away, eyeing with satisfaction the way Link’s lips were swollen and glistening with the kiss. How those blue iris’ had blown wide as Link gasped for breath. “And I will give you nothing more unless you agree to tell me when it becomes too much.”

_Okay_ , Link responded, his blush hot across his cheeks even as he took a breath to cool down. _Okay. But finding a sign or gesture … that might be a problem. I might not be facing you, or you might have me bound. I can’t verbally tell you if there’s a problem._ The hero turned his ocean-blue eyes away as if in shame. _I’m not like everyone else._

Sidon released his hold from around Link’s neck to slide a hand along Link’s cheek, and he watched the Hylian’s eyelids droop as if in relief. He gave Link a soft, one-sided smile.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. But you bring up a good point, my friend. What would you propose?”

_I’m … not sure_ , Link gestured, his blue eyes honest. _I’ve never done,_ Link’s gestures faltered for an instant as his blush deepened. _This. I’ve never done this before_.

Sidon’s eyes widened, surprise flashing throughout his body. “I … I was under the impression you’ve been physically intimate before. The night at the reservoir, it seemed as if you’d had previous lovers.”

_I have_ , Link replied quickly, but then he sighed and signed again. _What I meant is that I’ve never … submitted before. To anyone._

“I see,” Sidon said, relieved by the knowledge. He sat, and tentatively Link moved to do the same. But before the Hylian could settle beside him, Sidon curled a clawed hand around his hip and maneuvered him to stand between his thighs. Link lifted a brow, and Sidon gave him a toothy grin. “Let me look at you while I think.”

_Look away,_ Link responded with a smirk. _Touch too, if you like. I promise I won’t stop you_.

A low rolling chuckle slipped from Sidon’s massive chest, and he gave Link a smug look as he tugged the Hylian closer by his belt. “Patience, my hero. We’ll get to that.”

Again, Sidon saw the way Link’s eyes darkened with desire, but he remained obediently still as Sidon studied him. He framed Link’s hips between his large hands and stroked the hero’s stomach with a thumb and felt the strong lines there, hard and powerful. With curious touches, Sidon felt the muscles of Link’s back as well, through his tunic. The muscles there were just as firm, though with every touch they softened and relaxed.

The Hylian sighed at the gentle caresses, and Sidon wondered if he could keep the hero like this, forever. Here before him. Relaxed and calm.

Sidon lifted a hand to touch Link’s face again, and Link breathed, patiently letting Sidon trace a claw over his cheek and chin, along his hairline, over soft eyelids before drawing them over his lips. Warm, humid breath swept over Sidon’s fingers as the Zora lightly stroked, sensitizing them. Link’s eyes watched him, lids half-mast.

The smell of his arousal filled the air, and Sidon had an idea.

“Tell me, my hero. When you fought Calamity Ganon alone with the hope of all the kingdoms of Hyrule on your shoulders, during those dark moments when you were at your most desperate, when you believed you could not carry that burden and would surely stumble and fail … what did you feel?”

Link’s physical response was instantaneous. The relaxation Sidon had developed dissolved. The hero’s muscles tensed. His eyes hardened with phantom emotions Sidon wondered had ever had the time to fade away. As he’d predicted, the scent in the air changed from arousal to worry. Anxiety.

Fear.

_Nothing good_ , Link gestured, eyeing Sidon warily. _Why do you ask?_

Sidon began touching Link again, trying to relax him back into the state he’d been in before.

“Forgive me, my friend. That was a terrible question to ask you. I have a very sensitive sense of smell and taste.” Sidon caught Link’s blue eyes. “I needed to know what your fear, your anxiety, your panic smelled like.”

Link scrutinized him before understanding lit the hero’s eyes. To Sidon’s surprise, instead of anger like he’d expected, he saw impressed amusement in those ocean-blues. One of Link’s hands lifted to touch Sidon’s crest before it lightly glided along the forward edge, over the place a typical Hylian nose would be, then along Sidon’s lips.

_Creative solution, Prince Sidon,_ Link gestured with half a smirk. _Is my scent an acceptable indicator for you?_

“Is it for you?” Sidon countered. “Some would call it invasive.”

The Hero of Hyrule shrugged a shoulder.

_I believe that’s part of the reason I’m here, isn’t it? I_ want _you to be invasive. Besides._

Link’s eyes lightened and he smiled at Sidon, and it was brighter than Sidon had seen in some time.

_I trust you, Sidon. And that’s definitely why I’m here._

“So it is,” Sidon breathed, momentarily overwhelmed by this broken Hylian. Again, all he wanted to do was tug Link into the circle of his arms and hold him there forever. Never let him go. Never let anything hurt him again.

But that wasn’t why he’d come to Sidon today.

So instead he tugged Link into another deep kiss, one which told the hero more than Sidon knew Link was willing to hear in words before he pulled away. Sidon was pleased by the breathless nature Link now sported, and the smell of arousal returned to the air.

Sidon stood and walked to a table across the room before picking up a small crystal vial with deep pink liquid swirling within its depths. Link followed him, and he looked at it curiously before arching a blond eyebrow at Sidon. Sidon lifted the vial.

“Do you know what this is?”

Link’s brows came together as he took the small crystal vial from Sidon’s fingers to examine it. Carefully, he unstopped it and gave the liquid inside an experimental sniff. Even from Sidon’s position above, he could smell the heady scent. It curled around his senses and clung to his body, touched his arousal and promised to build upon it. He knew the Hylian felt the same sensation when Link gave the faintest of gasps, then looked up at Sidon as he shook his head.

“It’s a special Zora elixir,” Sidon explained as he took it back from Link to eye the deep pink liquid as he sat on the edge of his bed. “Since not all Zora biology is completely similar, we have to develop ways of ensuring the mating process is successful between lovers of differing sub-types. Most have no need for this elixir, but others need it either for stamina, or reduced refractory periods. It also acts as an aphrodisiac.”

_You want me to use it?_ Link questioned, giving him an odd look. _Trust me. I have the stamina, and I need no help feeling aroused._

Sidon smiled in response as he pulled the Hylian onto his lap, and the hero went willingly, his actions lithe and sensual.

“Oh, I have no doubt of that,” he told Link as he traced a finger along the hero’s body, circling intentionally around the telling bulge which already rested in his pants in a way that made Link wiggle and groan. “But it’s not for your stamina or arousal that I’d like you to take it. This,” Sidon said lifting the vial. “Can extend the number of times a Hylian male can orgasm within a given period, and shorten refractory times.”

Realization and understanding flared in Link’s eyes as he considered the potion again. _How long does it last? And how short are the refractory periods?_

Sidon smiled. “That would be telling.”

Just as he’d suspected, that one comment turned Link’s interest into appeal, the danger being that he wouldn’t know how long this would last or how often he might be made to orgasm. Sidon would know by the taste of the elixir in Link’s sweat. What was in that vial, however, should be enough for four or five rounds.

And they’d get harder and more intense with each orgasm. Link wanted punishment and pain. Instead, Sidon would give him so much pleasure it would feel like a punishment.

Perhaps, a punishment the hero would prefer.

_So … all I have to do is take this?_

“Yes. But think carefully about this. Once you take it, the elixir must be spent through orgasm, or it will run its course which would leave you in a heightened state of insatiable arousal until morning.”

Link eyed the elixir again, his eyes studying the deep pink in the flickering candlelight of Sidon’s room. Though Link had come this far with him, there was nothing to stop the hero from turning back now. Sidon hoped he wouldn’t. There was so much he could show Link. So much he could do to him. Enough perhaps to stop his recklessness.

But Link was the one who had to take the next step. Sidon could not force him to do it, or everything he hoped for wouldn’t matter in the end.

Link took the vial and sniffed it again. Arousal swelled in the air at just the scent of the elixir. Sidon held his breath.

Link smirked, and with a quick flash of his wrist emptied the elixir into his mouth, his pink tongue reaching up to meet it.

Watching Link drink it like that, sensual and irresistible as he accepted what would happen tonight eagerly, sent heat straight to Sidon’s groin. Within his pelvic sheath, both his cocks hardened, and he had to resist the urge to let them slip out.

Not yet.

Ocean-blue eyes caught Sidon’s gold, and Link tossed the vial across the room where it tinkled with soft sounds across the floor. Sidon held Link tighter as a smug smirk developed on the hero’s lips. A smirk, Sidon was sure, Link would soon find out was a little too early to be sporting.

_That tasted a little like voltfruit and stamella shrooms. How long do we have to wait until the elixir begins to take effect?_

Sidon grinned, all teeth and sensuality as he pressed his face into Link’s neck and breathed. The Hylian shivered, then gasped when Sidon slipped a hand under Link’s tunic and stoked a claw along the hard ridges of his flesh, before reaching higher to encircle a pert nipple. Already he could smell Link’s arousal thicken, his body heating. Reacting.

When Sidon spoke, his voice had dropped an octave. “My dearest hero. It’s already in effect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, oh man! We're finally getting into the good stuff next chapter and I hope you're as excited as I am about it. The next chapter's twice as long as this one - just to give you a little bit of perspective and something to crave for the week ;]
> 
> Anyway, as exciting as the next chapter's going to be, I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter! I'm so thankful to everyone who's left a kudo, and you champs who leave reviews are the stars in my sky, and I'm so grateful. You're kind words are what keep me going/posting. I love them all.
> 
> Until next week :]


	5. Pleasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are. There are dicks. They touch. Not much more I can say besides I hope you enjoy!

Sidon was certain Link felt the effects when the hero’s next breath came out a breathy gasp, and he reached to steady himself with Sidon’s arm. A blush burned bright across his cheeks, and the Hylian looked at Sidon with blue eyes as dark as the deep depths of the ocean.

Link smelled divine.

“Your skin should be hypersensitive by now,” Sidon mused as he dragged the tips of his claws across Link’s chest, and the Hylian jerked as surprise bled across his features. Link moaned softly in response and pleasure swelled through the Zora. Seemed the hero was very sensitive indeed.

He wondered how Link would fair, the longer the night grew?

Sidon withdrew his hand, but Link’s quick reflexes snagged his wrist. When blue met gold, however, Sidon gave the hero a cool look.

“Remember Link. I’m in control here.” He pulled his hand from Link’s hold and shifted back, spreading his legs slightly to give the Champion room to move. “Or have you changed your mind?”

An almost violent shake of Link’s head assured Sidon this was not the case, and Sidon gave Link an approving grin.

“Good. Now,” Sidon tilted his head appraisingly. “Strip.”

For a moment, Link didn’t react. It was as if he’d been given a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out, but it wasn’t long before his blue eyes turned molten. Link arched a blond eyebrow and smiled before he began an enticing strip-tease.

Sidon’s interest was captured for a variety of reasons. High on the list was simply that it wasn’t often he was given a strip-tease. Zora didn’t wear clothing aside from adornments or ornamentations, and disrobing those few babbles held little appeal.

Hylians, and many of the other races however, felt the need to cover up and in such extravagant ways. True, Sidon understood why. If he ever traveled to the northwest regions, he’d wear furs too if it stopped him from freezing in the frigid air. The clothing was practical. A necessity.

He couldn’t recall how many different outfits he’d seen Link in over the years, and in truth, he’d wanted to peel the hero out of each and every one of them – particularly the Zora armor – all so he could get at Link’s soft flesh. Flesh so different and strange from his own, but all the more appealing because of it. Watching layers of clothing slip off to reveal hidden treasures was always a treat and a pleasure for the Zora Prince.

Watching the fabric bare Link’s body felt like a blessing he’d never thought he’d receive.

Appealing as it would have been to watch the Hylian shuck off more elaborate armors, all Link currently wore was a simple tunic, calf-skin pants, and boots, and Sidon couldn’t have been more thankful. He’d wondered at Link’s body for some time, never believing he might have this opportunity. He hardly thought that night at the reservoir counted, given its darker nature.

But it counted now, and the opportunity was his. Sidon wanted to see it all. He wanted to see everything.

And Link appeared eager to show him.

Boots were toed off easily, leaving the Hylian barefoot before him, and soon Link slowly tugged his tunic up with clear intent. Sidon’s eyes followed the slow reveal of Link’s belly and chest with smoldering hunger, studying each ridge of muscle as it was revealed just for his eyes.

The tunic flew off across the room, forgotten, and naked from the waist up, Sidon watched Link in the flickering firelight. The Hylian reached for his belt, but Sidon lifted a hand to stop him.

“Turn around.”

Link must have realized what Sidon meant because a spark of awareness broke through his climbing arousal, and with it came that dark look. He eyed Sidon, but Sidon didn’t do anything except match Link’s gaze without giving anything away, shameless about what this was about.

Slowly Link turned, baring his flesh to the Zora and even in the dim candlelight there was so much to see. Sidon wished he could focus on the ripple of strong muscle. On tanned skin and the hero’s powerful body, but his eyes kept hitching on scars, old and new. One, in particular, trailed down the length of Link’s spine a small distance to the right side. It had healed, but the scar itself was puckered and pink. A relatively new scar, it seemed, and there was evidence of other damage just as young.

Sidon had thought as much.

“You haven’t been kind to yourself, my hero,” Sidon hushed as he traced the mostly healed injury on Link’s back with his eyes. Link didn’t respond. He only watched, a hard look fighting the arousal racing through his blood. Sidon wanted to dig, to find out more. To find out what other pains and secrets Link possessed and hide him away. Heal him.

But they might already be on the correct path, and anything else could be counterproductive.

So Sidon let the issue go, for now, and instead leaned back, eyes daring and the tense moment faded away.

“Well, hero? I’m waiting.”

A soft chuckle slipped out of Link before the sound of his buckle replaced it. Without preamble, Link loosened his pants and let them sag at his hips before he shimmied out of them and faced Sidon, exposed and beautiful. His blush deepened, but Link gave a look just as daring as Sidon’s.

Link’s cock was already erect and ready, weeping precum. The scent of it filled the room, musky and tantalizing, and Sidon’s mouth watered. His own body tingled with anticipation as golden eyes traced Link’s body hungrily.

The first word which came to mind to describe Link, was power. Every muscle was strong and defined, shifting under the warm candlelight that danced across his flesh or hid it away in shadows. The second word, however, was scarred. Scars crisscrossed his body, lined it in faint or prominent lines everywhere. Under other circumstances, it might have been off-putting. In some ways, it was. Link had seen a great deal of battle, and it was written all over his body. He should have been whole and unmarked. The Hero of Hyrule deserved that. Link had never deserved the pain he’d received, endured, or sought out.

But the dark part of Sidon, the part he kept in tight check, it looked at Link and saw strength. Saw resilience, health, and power. Saw the body of something which wouldn’t break. Which could take punishment and recover, perhaps stronger than before.

Sidon’s cocks felt heavy and insistent where they ached within him. But he wouldn’t let them out. Not yet. He didn’t want to. He wanted to savor this, even if the elixir in Link’s blood would test his resolve.

Link lifted an eyebrow again, and Sidon grinned and showed teeth.

“Lovely.” Reaching out a hand to lightly drag his claws along Link’s side, Sidon watched closely as the hero’s eyes closed to enjoy the sensation before snapping open when Sidon drew them low over his hip. Close enough to make Link’s cock twitch.

The Hylian groaned, arching his hips in clear indication of what he’d like, but Sidon only removed his hand after pressing a small circle into Link’s hip with his thumb.

“Touch yourself,” Sidon commanded, his voice soft but irrefutable. “Show me how you find your pleasure.”

Link moaned but appeared eager to comply as one hand located to the base of his erection to give it a quick squeeze before he dragged it slowly up to the head where he swirled a thumb and smeared precum. With his other hand, he fondled and rolled his balls while spreading his legs a little wider.

A surprised gasp colored the air and suddenly Link’s legs buckled as he shuddered violently. Blue eyes rolled back, his body tightened, and a look of pure shock swept across Link’s face as Sidon caught him about the hips. Cum shot from Link’s cock in a hot stream into Link’s hand, and the Hylian looked mortified. Embarrassment, but most of all, disbelief sat on Link’s face as the first of his orgasms ended.

His erection hadn’t gone down.

Taking advantage of Link’s surprise, Sidon dropped a hand shamelessly and shoved Link’s hands away to take over the motions himself. The hero’s cock was hot and smooth to the touch, hard and straining, and Sidon was beyond pleased to finally touch Link like this. The hero, on the other hand, yelped with sensitivity, clutching at the Zora’s shoulders as Sidon pumped him a few times. Link groaned, and his hips thrust forward. The arousal intensified in the air again, and not even two minutes after the first orgasm, the Hylian’s second was mounting.

“I’d like you to hold it back,” Sidon breathed hotly into Link’s pointed ear. “All that elixir in your blood. If you don’t focus, this will end more quickly than either of us want it to. Or do you want it to end quickly?”

Link shook his head, and Sidon chuckled lowly before reaching down to cup and roll the hero’s balls in an imitation of the abbreviated lesson he’d been given already, and Link squirmed. He knew the first three orgasms would be the quickest and easiest to get out, which was no issue for Sidon. The Zora wanted to overwhelm the hero a bit with pleasure before he really worked him.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t milk Link a little and see how strong the Hylian’s control was when his arousal and response were heightened by the elixir. Already Sidon was impressed. Most wouldn’t have lasted so long the second round.

Sidon decided to push his hero when he palmed Link’s erection and gave it a long, delicious grind.

Link came an instant later with a loud shout, and the look of aroused shame which raced across his eyes was telling enough. Sidon chuckled again.

“Don’t feel ashamed, my hero,” Sidon said as he continued to fondle Link all the way through the second orgasm. When it had ended, the Hylian was still gloriously hard, exactly as he should be. “I’d never believe your control was so undisciplined under normal standards. That’s part of what the elixir does, remember?” Sidon inclined his head, eyes coy. “Or, am I wrong?”

Link struggled to remain standing under Sidon’s ministrations and tried to move back. His sensitivity, Sidon knew, was likely maddening, but Sidon curled the palm still on Link’s hip tighter. His claws bit into flesh and Sidon suspected the hero would have bruises later, but instead of pulling away, the Hylian hips involuntarily jerked forward.

The need in that one motion almost took Sidon’s breath away.

Sidon let go of Link’s hip, only to sink his hand into blond hair and grab hold. Link hissed at the sudden sensation as Sidon directed the hero’s head upward to face him. Dark blue met molten gold.

“I thought you might like some pain with your pleasure,” Sidon crooned, his lips brushing the Hylian’s as he spoke. He turned Link’s head again, and this time the Zora spoke into the hero’s ear. The hand fondling the Champion didn’t stop. Sidon reached further back to stroke Link’s perineum, making him jump and groan. “What do you desire, my hero? Scratches? Bruises?” The monster in Sidon voiced its suggestion. “Bites?”

Link’s legs shook at the mere mention of the last one, and the erections in Sidon’s body felt ready to burst. The teeth in his mouth ached with a persistent need to latch onto something. Sink in.

Sidon couldn’t resist himself and gave Link a particularly brutal stroke.

“Would you like _me_ to bite you?”

With a cry and a start, Link’s body seized and the look of lust-filled astonishment was beautiful to behold as he came again so soon after the second. Sidon groaned as he licked along the hero’s neck, tasting Link’s pleasure and the intensity of the elixir.

No fear existed. Only overwhelming levels of ecstasy. And there was still so much more elixir for Link to work through.

Sidon continued to stroke Link through his third orgasm, holding his hips again as he bucked at the intensity. The hero’s nails dug into Sidon’s flesh as he jerked and thrashed and gave breathy huffs that never seemed to end and only seemed to beg. To stoke the fire burning low and strong within Sidon’s body.

“Again, so soon? Link, my dear,” Sidon murmured as he abruptly let go of the needy prick in his hand to lift the hero onto his lap, spreading Link’s legs obscenely across Sidon’s red thighs. “I knew the first and second ones would be fast, but the third? I must say, hero, I’d thought you’d last longer.”

A hand latched onto the back of Sidon’s neck, clinging to the silver choker there and Sidon let it be. Later he’d teach Link not to cling to it when it was there — or better yet, he’d train the Hylian to remove it himself for the possibility of a reward. But for now, Sidon could see his hero needed something to cling to as the lust consumed him, and so long as it was him, what did he care?

Link’s cock was still engorged and proud, but this time Sidon left it alone.

It was about time he bared himself as well.

Link shifted on top of him, his erection bobbing and leaking again despite three copious orgasms. Sidon hummed and pressed his groin up against Link’s ass. The pressure, though his cocks were still buried within his pelvic sheath, was exquisite.

“I take it you’ve never been with a Zora before?” Sidon asked, wondering if Link still had mind enough to communicate in his aroused state. He was impressed when the Hylian pulled off a series of rapid gestures.

_No. And no males._

Selfish pride curled in the center of Sidon’s chest, but he forced himself to ignore it. Later he’d review the fact he’d be Link’s first in this way, but that wasn’t important right now.

Some lessons were in order.

Shifting slightly to make this easier, the Zora took Link’s hand and pressed it against his cream-colored belly and held it there.

“You honor me, Link. Have you been curious, my hero, about how we male Zora procreate?” Link’s hand was hot against his belly, and it twitched as Sidon guided it lower. “We aren’t like you Hylians, baring ourselves openly. That’s dangerous in the water, you know.”

Link’s breath came in soft pants, and Sidon glanced up to see his face. The Hylian’s eyes were locked on the slow journey Sidon’s hand was taking Link’s. The Zora’s heart quickened when they were close.

“We do have cocks though, and they are as varied as the creatures of the sea. They’re also often somewhat reflective of the sub-type the Zora hails from.” With his free hand, Sidon caught Link’s chin and made him look him in the eye. “Would you like to see mine.”

The desire burning through Link made the smaller man keen, and Sidon gave him a smug smirk. Then he pressed Link’s fingers just a little further and flicked his eyes down at the same time to direct Link’s own.

“This, my friend, is my pelvic slit.” Shamelessly, Sidon pressed two of the Hylian’s fingers in, and Link jolted. The sensation sent warm waves of pleasure up Sidon’s spine, and he fought to hold his erections within him. “What you feel now is my pelvic sheath. That is where I keep them.”

The hero’s jagged breath caught, and he jerked his head up, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. In lust. Single-handed Link gestured, but Sidon didn’t need to see the motion to know what Link meant.

_Them?_

“Link,” Sidon said, eager to see how the Hylian would take this news. “Sharks have two phalluses. And I am no different.”

A sharp breath raced out of Link’s mouth, and the arousal in the air heightened again. Sidon resisted the urge to pull the Hylian down and let his cocks slide out to press against the hot globes of flesh right above them. To take and find sweet, sweet friction.

He wanted to, but that wasn’t the name of the game. But if all went right, Sidon hoped that perhaps there would be another game where it was.

Right now, however, he watched as Link’s eyes remained glued on his pelvic slit, small fingers delving in and slipping easily given Sidon’s natural lubricants easing out and making the process that much more … sensual. Tentatively – or perhaps curiously, Sidon wasn’t sure – Link dipped his fingers in a little deeper, his blush darkening.

Sidon knew what it looked like to the Hylian, but Link would soon find that looks and reality were very different.

“Go on,” Sidon encouraged as he reclined back, watching the hero explore his body. “I promise they’re in there. Be gentle though. They’ll come out quite naturally.”

Somehow Link tore his eyes up to look at Sidon, and Sidon gave him a slow smirk. He was so used to seeing this hero confident and on his game. This new side of him, Sidon liked it.

He wanted to see more.

Fingers pressed deeper, growing bolder, and Sidon hummed in approval as they burrowed into his slick flesh. They both knew the moment Link found Sidon’s cocks. Sidon couldn’t stop the jolt which ran through his body or the groan of appreciation which followed after. Link withdrew his fingers all the way to the tips, startled and eyes wide.

But Sidon didn’t need to give any encouragement before Link pressed in again, curiosity driving Link now that he had a purpose. A second later, those fingers caressed one of Sidon’s cockheads again and Link sucked in a breath. The caresses strengthened as he traced over one of them, then, as if remembering, his fingers began to quest around again.

In no time he found the second, and Sidon found he couldn’t hold them in any longer.

He wanted to see what the Hero of Hyrule thought of them.

With control, Sidon let them press upward through his sheath, and Link pulled his fingers out to watch in fascination as the crowns of both Sidon’s erections appeared from between his slit, deep red and glistening. It was a sight Sidon had seen often enough, but with Link’s eyes on him, he couldn’t help but be entranced. Like he was seeing this for the first time as Link was.

Sidon let a bit more out and knew that soon he wouldn’t have control over the rest. Link stared at them, then lifted his eyes to meet Sidon’s again.

“Go on, hero.”

Hands reached forward instantly, and though they hesitated for a moment, those questing fingers which had probed within his sheath traced along the length of Sidon’s nearest cock. The effect was maddening, and it was difficult to keep the blatant desire off his face. To not take the little Hylian and pound him brutally into the mattress. Make Link cry out and writhe in ecstasy.

Those thoughts alone made him that much harder, and his cocks responded easily now that they were freed. They thickened and slicked more. They twitched and shifted, and Link stared with anticipation.

“Not what you’re used to, are they?” Sidon said as he took hold of one and give it a satisfying squeeze. The ridges along the back caught his fingers gently and echoed sensitivity as they bumped in a steady rhythm against his fingers. “Not quite as smooth as a Hylian’s, I’ll admit, but I’ve been told that their length, girth, dexterity, and ridges all make for a pleasurable experience.” None of his other lovers had ever seemed to have a problem, at least. Far from it.

Despite the pleasure clouding Link’s eyes, Sidon saw a faint hint of caution there in the blue as the hero stared. Link licked his lips as he watched Sidon’s hand stroke up and down at a leisurely pace, and to stoke the fire Sidon leaned forward and muttered against Link’s ear, “I promise you’re big enough, but don’t worry. When I decide it’s time to mount you, I’ll prepare you _thoroughly_.”

A shuddering breath ripped from the hero’s lips, his cock practically jumping at the thought. Link licked his lips again as he eyed both red appendages.

_You’ll use both_?

Sidon smirked as a sharp thrill raced along his nerves at the very thought. The mental image he came up with was almost too much to resist. Instead, The Zora said, “Brave of you, my hero. Many Zora women wouldn’t be so bold or willing. Even among the Zora, I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m in a different class. Much … _larger._ ”

The blush that had rested solidly over Link’s cheeks now slid down his neck and across his chest, turning the tanned skin pink and enticing. Sidon’s smirk widened and he dragged a claw along the blush, leaving a pale line in its wake from cheek, over chin, along the column of that beautiful neck and over his shoulders to circle around the tight bud of a nipple. Link bucked at the simple sensation, risking an accidental piercing of the sensitive flesh, and the thought sent another thrill through Sidon.

But that was an idea for another time.

“As much as I appreciate your willingness and your valor in allowing me the opportunity to properly mount you, that’s a gift you’ll have to earn.” Sidon leaned closer so his lips brushed against the Hylian’s pointed ear, his teeth edging the delicate skin there with danger. “Besides. One’s going to be more than enough the first time I take you.”

With a firm hold, he took Link’s hand and wrapped it around one of his proud cocks. The Hylian’s fingers couldn’t wrap around his girth at its thickest, and the Hylian’s breath turned jagged at the realization. “Or is it not to your liking?”

Sidon watched Link’s throat bob as he swallowed, and it was evident in his gaze that that was the absolute last thing he thought.

“I’m glad you agree,” the Zora said as he guided that hand on his cock, setting a slow, steady rhythm. They started low at his base where they brushed his second cock, before gliding up and twisting around the tapered head where Link’s fingers could ring the organ in a way which made Sidon groan with appreciation. “Good. Just like that.”

It didn’t take long for Link to get the hang of it, and soon he used his other hand for the second cock. Sidon groaned and leaned back on the bed to watch. His hero’s attention seemed transfixed, wholly snared as if he was locked in one of his battles.

Link’s smaller erection leaked desperately with every pump of attention the Hylian gave to Sidon’s cocks as he slipped his fingers over the rolling ridges with excited draws of breath. Pleasure burned hot and low in Sidon’s body, rising steadily as Link worked him, but he wasn’t ready yet. And besides, it was about time to work that fourth orgasm out of his hero.

“Come here,” Sidon said as he propped himself up on a hand to snare Link’s attention with a tantalizing smile. Link paused and let Sidon pull his hips forward until the hero’s cock slid between the valley made by both of Sidon’s. Link’s eyelids fluttered in response, and his hips gave an involuntary jerk forward. Then his blue eyes flew wide when Sidon squeezed both his cocks together and held them by the heads to encircle Link’s engorged one between his own.

“Go on,” Sidon encouraged. “Are they not pleasing enough for you, hero?”

Link’s hips snapped forward, rubbing against all the burning warmth and slick ridges surrounding him as a hand latched onto Sidon’s shoulder while the other rested on his chest. The Hylian let out a deep moan as he watched the sight with Sidon, the eroticism exquisite as both Sidon’s gleaming red erections created a path by which Link’s own could travel. The Hylian’s hold tightened brutally, and the sharp lick of pain made Sidon tighten his hold on Link, causing the smaller man to shudder.

“Don’t stop,” Sidon commanded as he reached his free hand down to gather some of his own lubricants to cover his fingers. “Do you understand?”

The Hylian’s blond head nodded, cheeks blazing, but a cheeky smile caught Link’s lips.

Sidon had to kiss it off, and by the time he’d owned Link’s mouth thoroughly his fingers had delved around the hero’s body where he slid the slick digit along the divide of Link’s ass.

The Hylian gasped in surprise, but Sidon only chuckled before giving him a pointed look.

“Didn’t I tell you not to stop?”

Link swallowed, continued thrusting his hips, and while he did Sidon leaned up and ran his tongue along Link’s salty shoulder as he toyed with the Hylian’s small hole. With every thrust of Link’s hips, the potential for Sidon to guide a finger within became more likely, and Link’s hips began to arch with every thrust back in invitation.

“Is this what you want, my hero?” Sidon crooned in Link’s pointed ear as he let his fingertip slip in, pulling a groan of desire from the Hylian. “My fingers settled deep within your body as I work you open and prepare you for one of my cocks?” Sidon hummed in amusement. “I imagine my fingers alone feel quite large to you.” Sidon kissed Link’s shoulder, his neck, and he let his teeth drag and nip just a little. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to feel. “Oh, I’m going to ruin you for anyone else.”

Link moaned wantonly as Sidon pressed more of his slick finger in at the same time Link pressed back onto it, burying the digit all the way up to the knuckle. The Hylian cried out, his movements stuttering again, and Sidon took the opportunity to pump his finger a few times and enjoy the look on Link’s face. Then he nuzzled Link’s cheek.

“I thought I told you not to stop.”

Sidon squeezed in a second finger, and the shock of it sent Link’s hips in motion again in earnest. On one hand, Link was fucking himself between Sidon’s cocks while on the other he fucked himself on Sidon’s ever-questing fingers. The sight of Link, the Hero of Hyrule, like this sent a heady vein of satisfaction throughout Sidon’s body, and the effort it took to keep himself under control enough to extract this fourth orgasm from Link was maddening. To last long enough to make the fifth and final one worth it and memorable once he finally took the hero on his cock.

Already he was starting to buck slightly under Link. Squeeze his erections together tighter and further down to increase the pressure and sensation for both of them. Lubricants flowed out liberally, and Sidon had to withdraw his fingers from Link’s body just to gather up more before he started scissoring his fingers and questing to find the sweet spot within the Hylian.

Link found it for him as, with an errant thrust of his hips back onto Sidon’s fingers, the Zora suddenly brushed up against Link’s prostate. Link shouted and jerked his hips forward more forcefully, and the shock of it caused the Hylian to cum hard on Sidon’s belly, the head of his cock spurting streams of cum in a display which tested Sidon’s control. With his fingers, Sidon stroked that sensitive place inside Link’s body again, and the hero moaned and pressed harder against Sidon, his body shaking as the orgasm rode him fiercely. 

Link shook his head once his fourth ended and Sidon gave him an appeasing smile as he stroked Link’s hard body. His cocks tightened then relaxed around the hero’s smaller one, flooding it with careful sensitivity. The look Link gave Sidon told him everything.

Link didn’t think he could do another. He didn’t even know how it was possible that after four powerful orgasms in a row, he was still hard, still hot and bothered with unending, growing lust that never wavered. Link clearly both craved and dreaded the next one because the fourth had been harder to pull out than the first three combined.

And Sidon wondered if Link sensed how hard this fifth one would be.

“You can do it,” Sidon promised. “The elixir is still burning through you, and so long as it does you’ve got them in you.” Pressing a hand to Link’s throat to keep him long and bared along Sidon’s body, Link moaned at the new restriction. “We need to get them out of you, remember? If it doesn’t run its course fully, then you’ll be stuck like _this_ until the elixir wears off. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Link shook his head, hair flashing in the candlelight, and Sidon didn’t think he’d ever seen a sight as beautiful as the one Link made here in his arms, desperate and needy and ready for anything Sidon had in store for him.

“Who knows how many more times you’ll have to cum,” Sidon said, both threat and promise. “One? Two?” The Zora smiled. “Five more perhaps? Could you manage five more, my great hero?”

Link thrashed at the thought, sensitive beyond anything he’d likely ever experienced if Sidon had to guess. That was good, and Sidon could smell it in the air how desperate Link was, and how the elixir was at its most potent and would fade after this last one. He had to make it count. Not that he thought sex was the thing which would save his hero, but Sidon thought at least it might be a factor, or a doorway forward. Perhaps even a good one, one which might rival Link’s fatal desires for battle.

That perhaps, Sidon himself was strong enough to combat these suicidal urges.

Link whined when Sidon shifted, releasing Link before he pulled the Hylian forward so he was perfectly aligned above Sidon’s pelvis. His cocks stood up, both eager and ready, and Sidon lifted his hips to guide the cock he’d use up along the crack of the hero’s enticing body. Link’s eyes widened as a small gasp slipped from his lips. The Hylian’s nails dug into Sidon’s skin, and Sidon groaned deep in his chest, eyes hot and sensual as he held Link’s aroused gaze.

He smiled before taking hold of Link’s blond hair and bending him down so his body was elongated and stretched across Sidon’s, rendering the hero vulnerable as his hands scrambled for purchase. Sidon’s cockhead nudged at the ring of Link’s opening, and spread like this with no option left except to take the plunge, so to speak, the Champion looked magnificent.

Sidon smirked as he ground himself against Link’s body. “Ready, my hero?”

Link’s breath caught, and he gave a jerky nod before hastily sitting back up, yanking his hair out of Sidon’s grasp even as the action pulled strands of blond out at the same time. Surprise nipped at Sidon, causing his brow to furrow as he watched Link maneuver himself, shifting into position and lining up with Sidon’s waiting erection.

The Hylian took a breath as if preparing himself, but the look on his face was radically different from the one he’d had only a minute earlier. His cheeks were still red, but arousal wasn’t on his face. Hard determination was there instead, and the rest of his body had paled. Upon Sidon’s chest, Link’s fingers bleached with pressure and Sidon froze when he breathed the air, tasted what was quickly souring it from the need and desire which had filled it until now. It was intense, and with sick dread Sidon realized exactly what it was.

The cold stink of fear.

Sidon’s eyes widened, and his hands clenched Link’s hips and stopped him from moving before he could impale himself upon his cock. Confusion swept across Link’s face along with a flash of panic. A hand traced along Sidon’s forearm as Link pulled on a tight smile. He pumped his hips, trying to get Sidon to let him go, to continue, but now that the scent of Link’s fear had swept into his senses Sidon couldn’t ignore it. It was thick now, thicker than it had been, and he caught Link’s blue eye with his concerned gold.

Sidon pressed his lips together and shook his head.

“No.”

Alarm raced across Link’s face, but Sidon was already tugging him forward and away from the possibility of more. The Hylian shook his head, pressed his palm against Sidon’s chest to stop him and to edge back, but the growing scent of relief which undercut the fear and frustration was unmistakable.

When Sidon refused to let up, Link’s alarm morphed to anger and he bared his teeth at the Zora like a beast before beating at his chest and snarling at the decision.

“This was too much,” Sidon said seriously. “All I can taste is your fear, Link. No.”

Link hissed at him, grinding his cock against Sidon’s stomach but the fear in his system overwhelmed the elixir’s potency and his otherwise persistent erection flagged. Still Link persevered, trying to revive it, but the action only seemed to have the opposite effect, and suddenly Link collapsed upon Sidon’s chest. His breath turned ragged and harsh as he trembled and struggled to breathe.

“Link?” Sidon said, concern filling him as he held the smaller man against his body, tilting the Hylian’s head up to see what was happening. Link’s pupils had shrunk, but his gaze was unfocused as if he were lost in his own mind. His pulse beat fast from under his skin, and all Sidon could taste in the air was panic and anxiety.

Link was having a panic attack.

“Link,” Sidon said as calmly as he could, clamping down on his own worry before it could manifest into something counterproductive and unhelpful to Link. “Link, it’s all right. I’m here. Nothing’s wrong. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

Link’s breathing was slightly more ragged, but the hold he had on Sidon tightened and Sidon took it as a good sign. As a sign that Link was listening and that maybe, just maybe, he could help.

“I want you to do something very simple for me. Do you feel me under you? Can you feel me breathe? That’s all I want you to do. I want you to breathe, nice and slow. Breathe in time with me.” He stroked down Link’s back gently. “It’s going to be okay.”

Through calm words and steady encouragement, Sidon talked to Link and gave him something to focus on. He wasn’t sure how effective he was at it. Link still seemed far away. His body still trembled. But although the breathing had begun rapid and erratic, the longer Sidon spoke to him, the longer he calmed him by rubbing his back and breathing nice and slow, the more even Link’s breathing became. It was slow going. Link would match tempo with Sidon for a few breaths before it would become erratic again.

But now, and for the last several minutes, Link had matched breaths with him steadily. They breathed at the same time, in and out, and through the breath Sidon further slowed the Hylian down by taking slower and deeper breaths with every lungful he drew. Link’s heart rate descended.

“Shh,” Sidon said, lifting and curling Link’s shaking body against his own, passion and lust forgotten as comforting the Hylian became his top priority. “I have you, Link. We won’t go any further.”

Link clung to Sidon desperately, eyes wide but Sidon was sure the hero couldn’t see anything around him. Sidon was dismayed to see Link like this when they’d come so far. Stepped closer toward joined physical intimacy. But the longer he thought about it, the less surprised Sidon was by Link’s reaction. For a man who was always in control, it made sense that at the height of it, when he couldn’t even control his own body anymore, fear had overcome him. It had been too much, despite Link’s assurance at the beginning to the contrary.

It made Sidon so sad to see Link this broken, but as he held the Hylian in his arms, appearing so small compared to his larger size, Sidon hoped that perhaps he’d be able to piece Link back together again, in time.

If Link still wanted this, after what had happened.

“Shh,” Sidon said again, stroking Link’s hair in long movements meant to calm and soothe.

_You should’ve kept going_ , Link signed suddenly, the motions oddly both listless and aggressive. _You should’ve kept going and taken it from me. You should have used me. You should have done it anyway, and—!_

Sidon snagged both of Link’s wrists in his hand and pinned them against the hero’s chest.

“Enough of that, Link. I told you. I will give you what you need. I won’t punish you. I won’t take more from you than you can give. And I most certainly won’t rape you.” He took a deep breath and nuzzled Link’s head. “I know you crave pain, but not this way.”

Tears rolled down Link’s face as he struggled like he had a month ago at the reservoir. But when Sidon refused to let up and only curled him tighter against his chest, Link broke down and went limp against him, sobbing until he couldn’t sob anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you all thought this chapter was going to be pure fun, huh? HA. My Link's a bit of a wreck, and things aren't going to be coming too easy with him until he starts opening up a bit. Good thing Sidon's got a handle on this huh? At least, we all hope he does ;]
> 
> Anyway, I'd love love love to hear what you thought of this chapter! You've all been so responsive to the story so far that it's been ridiculously hard not to post the chapters earlier than scheduled. It's so amazing to get all these reviews and kudos and subscriptions and bookmarks, and we're not even half-way! I'm blown away, and I hope you'll continue to be as responsive :]
> 
> Till next Monday!


	6. Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, a recovery/recuperation chapter. A little short, but I hope you'll still enjoy!

It was some time before Link gave Sidon any indication he was coming out of his mind and back to the reality around them. As he had since Link’s abrupt panic attack, Sidon waited patiently, guiding the Hylian with gentle touches and caring reassurances, and Link clung to his larger body with his face buried away as he continued to calm down.

Sidon sighed, drawing the breath deep as he considered what he’d do next. What might happen now, after everything that had happened, and if he was about to lose the hero so soon after Link had finally agreed to give the potential between them a proper chance. That he might have pushed too hard, too fast, and driven Link away once he was himself again.

In the end, Sidon decided now wasn’t the time for thoughts like that. The future and what it held could wait. Right now, what Link needed most were care and compassion. Someone to help get him back to a better place, and looking at Link’s tired body covered with the mess they’d both made, he had a good idea what he might do next to help.

Carefully, he gathered Link in his arms, easily supporting the weight of the Hylian’s body, before shifting to his feet. Link flinched and blinked at him tiredly, but made no move to struggle out of his hold. As Sidon moved, he stroked a thumb along Link’s shoulder.

“Are you all right?”

Link sighed into Sidon’s chest, his breath warming cream skin, and with a small nod and a gentle tightening of the hero’s hand along Sidon’s waist, Link agreed that he was.

_What are you doing_?

Link’s gestures were listless, and the look in his blue eyes was tired and guarded as if he didn’t know what to expect, or what Sidon was about to do now that the sex was ruined and over.

“I’m giving you a bath and I’m taking care of you,” Sidon replied as they entered a bathing room off the side of the main suite. “Relax.”

The guarded look remained in those ocean-blue eyes as if Link waited for the other boot to drop. But what the hero didn’t realize was that there _was_ no other boot to drop.

One-handed, Sidon activated the heating mechanism which caused the pool to heat and in no time soft tendrils of steam wafted in the air. Moisture gathered on his skin, turning it slick. Once Sidon was sure the temperature of the pool was right, he stepped in and sat on the submerged ledge with Link still held in his arms. At the heady touch of hot water, Link’s body slowly relaxed, his muscles unwinding from where they’d grown tense after his panic attack.

Without looking at him, Link moved his hands. _Thank you_.

“I’m a careful lover, you’ll find,” Sidon said as he swept warm water onto the hero’s shoulder and watched it stream across his chest and down his back. “And you deserve the best care I could ever provide.”

A sharp blush swept onto Link’s cheeks.

_Even after what happened?_

“You’re mistaken if you believe that was enough to drive me off,” Sidon said. “I was under no impression that you were like anyone else. You are a survivor, and that rarely comes without a great deal of pain and suffering. You are used to being in control, but you are also used to being used. Even though you want to put that control in my hands, there was never a guarantee it would be easy. This sort of thing takes time, Link.”

_And you’re willing to waste so much of it?_ Link asked, unable to meet Sidon’s eyes though a dark smirk existed on his lips as his hands did the talking. _I might never be able to do it._

“I am, and I don’t think it’s time wasted.” Unable to stop himself, Sidon nuzzled Link’s face before pressing a soft kiss on the Hylian’s lips. Then he smiled. “Besides, it seemed as if you were enjoying yourself before it became too much. Or, was I mistaken?”

Another blush swept across Link’s face, and though the Champion still wouldn’t meet Sidon’s gaze, his body relaxed a little more.

_I … I enjoyed it. A lot,_ Link admitted with softer motions. _And I wanted to do more — I wanted to give you more — but …._

“But these things happen,” Sidon said, cupping more water to pour over the hero’s shoulders, watching the water glisten with the light. “And if you’re worried, rest assured, I am not dissuaded. I care, Link. I want to help you. I want to continue this when you’re ready. If you still want to.”

Link drew a ragged breath before leaning against Sidon’s body. The Hylian’s hair stuck to and tickled Sidon’s chest, but all Sidon did was rest his own head atop Link’s and stroked the hero’s body. The steam was soothing and the faint scent of eucalyptus was relaxing, and they rested together in the silence of the room with only the soft sound of water shifting between them and the sounds of their breaths.

_I want to,_ Link suddenly signed, causing Sidon to blink and pull himself out of the quiet of his thoughts to give the hero his complete attention. _I … I want to try again, whatever this is. It’s just … so difficult._

“What is?” Sidon asked.

_To … trust, I guess._

“You trusted everyone while fighting Calamity Ganon,” Sidon pointed out, aware this wasn’t what Link was getting at, and he was right when Link lethargically shook his head.

_That was different_ , Link explained. _The land was in trouble. Other people were in trouble. The princess was in trouble. I needed to trust others to help me defeat Ganon._

Sidon hummed encouragingly, waiting for Link to voice the most important part.

_But this is different. I don’t need to trust you to help me help someone else. I have to trust you to …_ Link’s gestured lagged into a pause as he took another breath. Sidon curled his hand around the hero’s shoulder, patience unending as he waited for Link to continue. _I have to trust you to help_ me _._

Blue eyes finally found the courage to search out his gold, and Sidon held Link’s gaze gently. He let the Hylian shift in his hold to better face him.

_I’ve always had to take care of myself. Always. And I’ve always had to take care of others, and that meant I always put them before me. Since I was the one who had to help them, how could I trust them to help_ me _when I needed it?_

“You trusted the old Champions.”

_But there’s a difference. They kept me safe, sure. They stopped me from dying. But they never helped me like you’re trying to help me._ Link’s blue eyes dropped again, giving Sidon a view of only the straw color of his hair. _They never tried to help_ me. _Not even Mipha. Not really._

Sidon stared at the hero before pulling the smaller man into an embrace. Link went willingly, settling there without complaint while taking a deep breath as if to steady himself.

“Do you think I’m helping you?” Sidon asked, afraid of the answer. But he needed to know in case he’d misread the situation and played his hand wrong. “I don’t want to hurt you, Link, or betray your trust in any way.”

Link was motionless as he thought, simply breathing in time with Sidon as they both soaked in the water. After some time, Sidon reached for a sponge and began to ease it and a bit of soap over the Hylian’s body, marveling that Link was letting him. But he was, and he moved in time with unspoken prompts, turning this way and that whenever Sidon needed to reach a specific spot. It was only once Sidon placed the sponge down that Link responded.

_You’re right, Sidon,_ Link gestured. _I was trying to use you at the end. To make you punish me and hurt me because that’s all I really know. That’s just … normal for me._

A mirthless smirk pulled at the hero’s lips, showing his teeth.

_Sometimes I think that’s all I know. Pain. Suffering. Watching the good things in my life turn bad, or have to give them up so everyone else can have them. Watch the people I care about give up when they try to get close to me, or try to be there for me because they can’t handle me and that’s the best they can do. Because they don’t understand_.

Sidon sat quietly, his heart aching in his chest as he saw how saddened and dejected Link was, now that he was opening up.

_But … you stopped._ Link looked up. _And you didn’t let me destroy everything when everyone else would, and has. Being the Hero of Hyrule … no one stops me from doing whatever I want. No one tells me I’m wrong, even when I know I’m wrong. They just … let me do what I like, even if it’s not good for me._ Link’s hands clenched into fists. _They don’t even_ try _to stop me._

Sidon understood. Link had almost single-handedly saved everyone in the land. What right did anyone have to demand anything more of him? To tell him, of all people, no? Maybe that was why Princess Zelda had ultimately let him leave. And maybe that was why this destructive behavior had grown. Because no one had stopped him from letting it grow.

And maybe that was why Link had kept coming back to the Domain. Back to him, because Sidon — though in much quieter, smaller ways than now — had seen the signs and tried to stop him. Help him.

_I am not easy to handle, I know that,_ Link gestured. _But I came here hoping you could handle me. That I could trust you to understand me enough to get past my stubborn side to the truth like you did a month ago._

“And did I?” Sidon asked.

_Yes_ , Link replied, his gestures bordering on desperate. _I’m like the wildest of horses, Sidon. I’ve overpowered and thrown everyone, but you’re soothing me. You’re making me less wild._ Link’s hands trembled. _You’re changing something in me. Or, you’re starting to._

“And you want me to do that?”

Link nodded. _More than anything. I don’t_ want _to die, Sidon. But I don’t know what else to do, and I know it’s a lot to ask of anyone to help me change. You’re a prince, after all. Prince of the Zora. You have more important duties than trying to fix a broken Hylian._

Sidon’s fingers slipped into Link’s hair and grabbed hold before he gently directed the hero’s darkened eyes up to meet his own.

“Yes, Link. I am Prince of the Zora. And I do have a great many duties. But you aren’t simply some broken Hylian. Not to me. Not to my people. What I choose to do for you, I do out of great care and love for you, my friend. And as a friend and savior of not only Hyrule but of my people, I am honored if I can help in any way.” Sidon’s brow furrowed, and with a finger he stroked Link’s cheek. “You are not a burden to me, nor are you a duty. You’re more than that.”

Sidon pressed a kiss to Link’s lips, even as he saw the doubt sitting in those expressive ocean-blue eyes. Even as he saw a small star of hope shine there too, fighting to stay alive.

“I know you might not believe me now, Link. But in time, if you’ll give me that, I hope you’ll let me prove to you otherwise.”

_I want you to,_ Link admitted, gaze dropping again as Sidon let go of his hair. _I’m just afraid_ I _won’t let you._

“We’ll have to see, won’t we?” Sidon said before he smiled at Link. “But right now, you’re about as red as I am and you’re pruning. Let’s get you out and dry. Then let’s go to bed.”

_You want to try again?_ Link asked, surprised. _After what happened earlier?_

“Well, yes, eventually I’d like us to try sex again,” Sidon admitted. “But I doubt your body would respond even if we did try. Your biochemistry is off because of the panic attack earlier, so it’s unlikely you’ll feel anything like arousal until well after the elixir has worn off naturally.” The Zora stroked Link’s back before he began emptying the bath. “I was merely suggesting sleep. That is if you’d like to stay. I’d like you to stay.”

Link stood, and Sidon watched shamelessly as water streamed off the plains of his naked body. Tanned skin glittered and Sidon appreciated the way Link’s muscles moved, and as they did he saw more stories written on Link’s body than he’d seen before.

One day, Sidon hoped to convince the hero to tell him all of them. But for now, he remained silent and handed the Hylian a towel to dry himself with as Sidon did the same for his own skin. Soon they were both back in the dark twilight of the Zora’s bedchamber, and to Sidon’s pleasure, he watched as Link draped his towel over his pack and turned to face him.

_Bed?_

“Of course.” Sidon slipped off his ornamentations and placed them on the desk before he took Link by the waist and pulled him to the bed, lifting the sheet so they could both slide soundlessly in before leaning over and blowing out the low-burning candles. After everything that had happened, the confidence Sidon usually displayed was secretly shaken as darkness fell, and he wasn’t sure what he should do. How far he should push at Link’s boundaries or risk another episode, but Link answered that problem himself.

One of the hero’s hands tugged at and pulled Sidon’s arm until it was wrapped around his body. Link’s muscular back pressed along the curve of Sidon’s chest as it had a month ago, and Sidon drew a slow breath before he held the Hylian tight.

“Sleep, Link,” Sidon said into the soft wisps of Link’s damp hair. “We’ll speak about all of this in the morning. For now … sleep.”

Link didn’t say anything or respond past a tired sigh and settled in deeper against Sidon’s larger body, but that was all right. It said a lot that the hero was here, and that he was _letting_ Sidon hold him. And this way, he would know where the hero was at all times. It would be much harder for Link to slip away in the middle of the night and vanish before the sun rose again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas. No dicks this chapter, but that doesn't mean we're not going to see them again (perhaps even in the next chapter? Lol, who's to say ;] ). 
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to know what you thought of it! Again, thank you so much to everyone who has commented and kudoed and bookmarked and subscribed! Every day I watch all these numbers grow bigger and you've all blown my mind with all this support and enthusiasm. I can't wait for the next chapter and the transition we're about to hit after it. I hope you'll all continue to be as enthusiastic!
> 
> Till next week :]


	7. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I might've gotten a little carried away here with the first half >.> Dicks ahead. If you want to skip the dicks, the sexy times end about mid-way through here: 
> 
> “I’ve got you,” he whispered into Link’s ear, nuzzling the hero with care. “Take your time. I won’t let you go.”
> 
> Anyway, I know when I was reading over this chapter this morning I had more of a preamble planned, but I can't remember anything else I meant to say. So here we go. Enjoy!

What woke Sidon was the scent of the air, and the smell of it sent warm, tantalizing pleasure throughout his body as arousal flared low in his abdomen.

It smelled divine.

Sidon sighed into his pillow, feeling his cocks respond within his sheath, and he ground his pelvis into the mattress as his arousal deepened. He slid a hand down the length of his body and stroked along his pelvic slit and within moments his erections slipped out, slick and ready.

A moan of want filled the air. Movement next to him drew his attention, and in a flash, Sidon remembered last night. Remembered what had happened.

Remembered Link, and that they were still in bed together.

Sidon’s eyes snapped open as his hand tore away from himself, but when he caught sight of the Hylian hero, his mind went blank. The arousal which had started as a warm spark now burst into a writhing, burning flame as the beast in Sidon lifted its head and _wanted._

The edges of dawn curled around the horizon in the window, casting the room in a gentle glow, but all Sidon saw was Link where he huffed and squirmed next to him, less than a foot away. Link, who had a blush as deep as the scarlet of Sidon’s own skin which spread across his face and shoulders. Link, who was pumping his engorged cock with one hand and fingering himself frantically with the other as he stared at Sidon with unbridled desire.

That divine scent, he realized, was Link. And now that Sidon was properly awake, he scented something else under the hero’s natural smell. Something driving Link’s arousal to newer, stronger heights.

The elixir. It seemed that the panic attack from last night had only dampened its effects instead of ended it, and now it was back and stronger than ever.

Sidon watched the hero pump himself harder, moisture building along the lids of his eyes as he sought pleasure desperately. A long groan filled Link when he released himself and pulled his fingers free to crawl toward Sidon. He curled his fingers around Sidon’s nearest cock to stroke it in a way which shattered what few thoughts Sidon managed to pull back.

Then Link opened his mouth to take the head in his hot, wet mouth.

“Link!” Sidon jerked, struggling to find control in this unexpected turn of events, and though a hand had woven itself into Link’s hair, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. The hero’s tongue laved and sucked on whatever he could manage, and the feeling was beyond exquisite. He’d clearly done this before with other lovers, and a hum of lust traveled from Link’s throat all the way to the heavy desire surging within the Zora.

As Link attempted to take more in his mouth, he used his hands to make up for what he couldn’t, and it threatened to undo Sidon then and there.

But although this was a wonderful way to wake up, although he was certainly enjoying this, it wasn’t how Sidon wanted this to go.

“I think that’s quite enough, my hero,” Sidon said, increasing the pressure on Link’s hair until the Hylian’s mouth came off Sidon with an erotic pop. The look of Link’s aroused, blown blue eyes was nothing but heat and seductive desire, and though Sidon might have gotten that talented mouth off him, the hero’s hands were still shamelessly working. Sidon snagged them too with a hand, and Link’s body shifted, his breath nothing but soft pants of desire. “Seems the elixir’s returned. Are you sure?”

Link moaned, eyes rolling as he managed to nod and hump against the strong line of Sidon’s thigh, and the sight of Link so needy, needy for _him_ , almost convinced Sidon to give up control. The scent in the air held nothing but lust and desire. Sidon _wanted_ to give up control and _take._

After last night, he couldn’t afford that, but the fact that Link was in this state at all was promising enough.

“Look at you,” Sidon said, lifting Link’s arms high above his body, stretching him and preventing the hero from having the leverage he needed to grind and pleasure himself. “How long have you been like this?”

Link’s mouth outlined the words. A while.

“And not once did it cross your mind to wake me?” Sidon said, tone cool. “You thought you could find pleasure on your own?” Sidon pulled Link closer. “That’s not how it works, hero. Not when you’re with me.”

The dark tone in his voice did exactly what Sidon expected. It put the control back in his hands as Link whined and the arousal in his scent compounded. The look in the Hylian’s eyes told Sidon everything.

And Sidon responded.

“I think you need to be disciplined,” he said as his cocks ached low on his body. “So you’ll learn. So you’ll know better next time.”

Link’s breath quickened, and his body twitched toward Sidon’s, eager for whatever Sidon had planned. Sidon chuckled before tossing Link down on his belly so he was on his hands and knees with his ass in the air while Sidon pressed the Hylian’s chest into the mattress. Link’s cock was positively weeping pre-cum from this position, drooling onto the sheets, and the sight was stunning. Sidon took a moment to enjoy it.

Then he set to work.

“You’ve wanted me to punish you for some time now,” Sidon said, trailing the tip of one of his claws over the enticing flesh of Link’s rear, drawing pale lines as Link groaned and attempted to move his hips for more. “Remember this before you decide to please yourself without me again.”

Link cried out, loud and beautiful when Sidon spanked him, and then he jerked and shouted again when Sidon followed with a swift second. He paused to run his hand over the warming flesh as it reddened. Link keened, and Sidon smirked.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it, hero?” Sidon spanked him again, this time harder. Link bucked, gasping as the heady scent of desire thickened in the air. “Punishment? A little pain?”

Sidon smoothed his fingers over the reddened flesh, and Link whined. His prick hung heavy under his body, and the Zora wondered if he could make the Hylian cum just from this sort of treatment. As a matter of fact, he was confident he could.

But now wasn’t the time. He had other plans. This was only a taste. A reward to be earned in the future. No need to show Link everything he could do now. He just hoped there would be another time.

Still, three spankings wouldn’t be enough for someone like Link, and so Sidon began working him with powerful strokes, series of sharp slaps, and caresses all designed to make the smaller man below him twitch and jerk as the elixir and his own arousal drove him mad with lust. Drove Sidon higher as his own cocks leaked between his legs, hard and thick and ready for use.

When tears lined Link’s eyes and he was practically wild with want, Sidon knew it was time. He stroked his fingers through his natural lubricant and sunk a finger into Link’s hole, then a second just as easily given the Hylian’s earlier preparation. Steadily he scissored his fingers, and Link hissed and looked back at him with needy blue-rimmed eyes. He licked his lips and the seduction there wasn’t wasted. It sent a jolt through Sidon and in response he sunk a third finger into Link’s body, widening him further. The Hylian gasped, and his hips spasmed as he tried to press his erection against the bed for some relieving friction.

Sidon held his hips still and thrust his fingers in a lazy rhythm.

“I don’t think so, hero. Besides? Do you want the mattress,” Sidon slid his fingers free before lifting Link and repositioning him over his body as he had last night, a cock sliding along the crack of the Champion’s ass. “Or do you want me?”

Hands latched onto Sidon’s shoulders as powerful thighs shifted so Link could slide Sidon’s waiting cock several times along the seam of him. Link’s eyes fluttered and his breath caught when the head of Sidon’s nearest cock brushed his rim, almost slipping in. It was all Sidon could do to keep his groan deep within, to not simply take Link’s hips and force a cock inside the smaller man. But he kept himself in check. After last night, triggering the hero was the last thing he wanted to do.

Instead he placed his hands on Link’s hips, encircling them easily and waited for Link as he aligned himself.

Sidon arched a brow and gave Link a wicked grin, even as he remained hyper-alert for any changes in the scent of the air.

“Well, hero? I’m waiting.”

A smirk cracked Link’s face as he leaned down to kiss him, and as he did he let his body sink down on Sidon.

Even as Sidon dominated the kiss, a groan slipped from his mouth to mix with Link’s as heat engulfed him inch by slow inch. It was a slow process, and that was completely expected. Sidon was big. Even other Zora had trouble mounting him, but he knew the Hylian was determined, and Sidon would move quickly to stop Link if he scented blood. But that didn’t appear to be the case as Link let himself get used to Sidon’s girth and the ridges which lined the underside of his cock. With each ridge tackled Link would break away to breathe before he kissed him harder.

And after an age, Link wiggled down again and Sidon found himself engulfed in Link’s sweet heat all the way to the root.

Finally, Link, the Hero of Hyrule sat mounted on him.

Link broke the kiss and huffed a smile of triumph as he settled around Sidon, squeezing him deep within his body and it was all the Zora could do not ravage the man immediately. Instead, he waited. Let Link get comfortable. Let him revel in his accomplishment because it _was_ an accomplishment.

And then it was his turn.

“Very good, hero,” Sidon growled, tightening his hold on Link’s hips. “Now I think it’s my turn.”

And with that, he lifted Link until only the tip of Sidon’s cock was left to tease the Hylian’s opening before he yanked him down and plunged up, making Link scream in ecstasy at the sudden, brutal sensation. His hands clutched Sidon’s body, but when Sidon scented nothing but pleasure and lust, he started giving Link more by setting a punishing rhythm which stoked the fire between them.

Link gasped and dug his fingers into Sidon’s body, causing sharp sparks of pain to tug at the beast within the Zora. Made his teeth ache. Made his second cock yearn with the need to be embedded as well. The intensity of the desire Sidon felt for Link, that he’d always held for Link, it was breathtaking. Sidon was thankful for his self-control because otherwise, this would be far more dangerous than it already was. He wanted more. He wanted _so much more_.

But that was the burden of his sub-type of Zora. And he would not risk Link’s life to satisfy those darker urges.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t satisfy others.

Emboldened, with his next thrust Sidon gathered the Hylian up and pressed him into the soft mattress. Though Link’s hands flailed, they now clenched gratefully in the sheets as, on his hands and knees, he bore the force of Sidon fucking into him. Like this, Link appeared to have miles of skin and corded muscle, his body more enticing with his back arched so deeply and his thighs spread so widely that Link’s weeping cock brushed the mattress with every thrust he received.

The view alone tested Sidon’s control, but if he finished now before Link did, he’d have failed in his task.

Giving a toothy grin Link couldn’t see, he silently promised that he wouldn’t.

“If you could only see what I see,” Sidon muttered as he bent over Link’s back, his hips never stopping in their demanding pace as the cock embedded in Link brushed and stroked the Hylian’s prostate as his second bumped against Link’s engorged cock.

“I’ve seen you in battle so many times, my hero. Strong. Powerful. Unstoppable. I’ve almost shamed myself many times by losing control and letting my cocks slip out at just the sight of you like that. But this—” Again, he snapped his hips forward and Link gave a broken groan into the sheets, tears lining his eyes as his breath turned jagged. “This is indescribable.”

Nuzzling Link’s neck, he kissed him there as he paused, holding Link’s hips tightly against his where he was buried. Link cried out and trembled, but Sidon held him through it.

“If I had my way, Link, I wouldn’t let you go,” he huffed hotly, a hand stroking up the length of Link’s chest to rest at his neck. The Hylian gave a deep moan. “Remember, my hero, this is only a taste of the things I can do to you. For you. All this pleasure? I can make you drown in it. I can weave pain around it and make you ache, just how I know you like it.”

Sidon curled his fingers around Link’s flesh, tightened his hold on Link’s neck and held him there while Link grew hotter, tighter, more insane with lust as he wheezed for air.

The hand on his hip dropped to wrap around both his and Link’s cocks to stroke them together. He released his hold on Link’s throat, and Link coughed and moaned, and his hands made micromovements Sidon couldn’t decipher. The scent in the air was thicker than ever now. No fear at all.

“Link, I will fuck you and control you every single time you think about punishing yourself by challenging those monsters. Make you rethink your actions until the only monster you want to challenge is _me_.”

A single blue eye peered up through messy blond hair. Somehow, Link managed to gesture and Sidon managed to understand.

_Your job might never end_.

Sidon’s satisfied growl rolled from his chest and into Link as he smiled. Then he whispered in Link’s ear.

“So be it.”

Link’s eyes widened and at that moment, Sidon drew his hips back only to surge forward again. Suddenly Link screamed as his final elixir induced orgasm shot out of him fast and desperate. It painted the sheets, rolled through him, and Sidon held on as the Hylian’s body squeezed and milked him relentlessly.

This orgasm seemed to extend beyond all reasonable length, and in the back of Sidon’s mind, he made a note to find more of the elixir, if Link decided to stay after this.

He had no doubt they’d make good use of it.

Finally Link went limp under him, his chest heaving as his pleasure began to subside. Sidon, however, wasn’t content to let it end like that and continued to milk it out of him as best he could, pounding his cock into the hero while his other stroked along Link’s spent one.

“You did so well, little hero,” Sidon cooed into Link’s ear. “I’m so proud of you.” Link moaned again into the sheets, and Sidon sucked in a breath when, against all odds, Link’s cock lifted again. A quick lick at Link’s back was enough to tell him it wasn’t because of the elixir. It was spent and had run its course. This … this was all Link.

And Sidon grinned wickedly when he realized why that might be.

“Oh, you like it when I praise you, don’t you?” The body under his stiffened, the clamp on Sidon’s cock tightening impossibly. He gave a long, slow thrust as heat and desire burned through his body because he knew he was right. “Is that why you always came back to the Domain? To me, my hero? You like it when I tell you how amazing you are? How proud and thankful I am?”

Link’s cock was hard again, harder Sidon thought, than any of the other times, and the Hylian whimpered as he began to jerk again. Sidon put a quick stop to that, no matter how arousing the sight might be. The elixir orgasms had been all about Link, forcing him to experience as much pleasure as he possibly could. Forcing him to submit to it. But this final one, this one was all for Sidon. He _wanted_ this one.

“Look at you. A cock up your ass and about to come again for the sixth time since this began. Insatiable. Who knew? You are truly a Hylian among your kind because taking me like you have isn’t easy. Don’t you want to cum again? I want you to. I’ve given you five orgasms, now give me this last one. Don’t you want to give it to me?”

Link cried out as Sidon shifted the hand holding the hero’s hip down so he could pump and fondle that small Hylian cock with rough strokes.

“I want this last one. I believe in you, Link. It’s so full and hard. Look at it,” he watched the Hylian’s dazed blue eyes peek open as he saw his cock vanish between Sidon’s fingers, only to appear again as Sidon controlled his hips with a pointed thrust. Link was breathless and his eyes rolled. “I know it’s hard, but you can get there. You can have this sixth one, but I want you to do it for me. Can you do it for me? Can you be my hero, and cum for me just one more time?”

Sidon couldn’t pull his gaze from the Hylian Champion if he tried because impossibly the cock in his hold got harder, the grip of Link’s body on Sidon’s became mind-numbing, and the way his body reacted told Sidon that Link wanted _nothing more_ than to do exactly what Sidon wanted. The Zora couldn’t help but let out a deeply pleased moan, his pace picking up speed.

“That’s it,” Sidon breathed into the Hylian’s ear. “You’re so close. You can do it! I believe in you! One more time, I know you have it in you.” Sidon twisted his fingers over Link’s cockhead and the smaller man shouted, his hips surging forward as best they could, even with Sidon keeping a punishing tempo behind him. “Give it to me, Link. _I want it_. I want this final one. Show me how good you are. Show me how much you want to please me. To give yourself to me. You want to give it to me, don’t you?”

Link keened desperately, and now there was no grace in Sidon’s motions. This was wicked and fast, designed to force this final one out of the Hylian. It wouldn’t be long. Link’s entire body was shaking, tears were leaking down his cheeks as he clung to the sheets. All of his little noises were going straight to Sidon’s cocks, and he knew that he didn’t have long either.

But he knew who he wanted to cum first.

Link sobbed, and Sidon spread Link’s legs as far as they could go, arched his back before giving the rosy flesh of his ass a hard smack that cracked the air. At the same time, he gave an effective twist of Link’s cockhead, mixing the pleasure and the pain in a way that had Link quaking.

He was ready.

“Cum,” Sidon demanded as he thrust viciously into the hero. “Cum for me. I want it, now.”

The Hylian screamed, and he came.

Sidon clung to the hero as he thrashed violently, all control of his body gone in the wake of this final wave of pleasure, and the wild motions, the knowledge that Link had submitted at _his_ command ripped through him and he followed after the Hylian. Pleasure swelled from both of his cocks, the outer one shooting cum across the sheets and along the Hylian while the inner one was milked by Link’s body, gushing a thick wave inside him that seemed to go on and on as he came harder than he could remember in a long time.

The tension which ran through Link’s body vanished, and he wilted into the mattress.

“That’s my hero,” Sidon praised into Link’s ear as he rode out the last of his orgasm. “You’re incredible.”

Link shuddered again, boneless and silent save for heavy gasps of breath that mixed with Sidon’s and filled the room.

Gently, Sidon slipped out of Link, and once he’d regained control of his breath, he carefully shifted the hero. Link lay limp on his shoulder, his gaze far away and Sidon ran a hand through the hero’s hair before tucking Link up against him.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered into Link’s ear, nuzzling the hero with care. “Take your time. I won’t let you go.”

Link didn’t move in response, but Sidon felt the breath against his shoulder hitch before it relaxed. The Hylian’s heartbeat slowed, and Sidon held him snug as he stroked Link’s body in long, soothing motions. Now that they’d both been sated, Sidon saw that dawn had broken over the horizon. A warm band of light fell upon them both, warming their skin with gentle radiance, and in that light Sidon studied his lover.

He’d seen Link in various stages of undress and in so many different lights recently, but the morning light filtering in through the glass and the crystal around them made Link’s sun-tanned skin glow with beauty. The hero’s hair was an adorable, untamable mess, and it covered his shoulders in tangled golden waves. His skin, though crisscrossed with scars and old wounds, contained a strange touch of vitality which hadn’t been there before Sidon had touched him. The faintest sheen of sweat made Link’s skin glisten, and it contrasted starkly and so well against Sidon’s own cream and red coloring.

Link was beautiful, and it astounded Sidon that not only was this incredible man with him, but that Link had endured so much suffering and pain alone.

But if Sidon had his way, that wouldn’t be the case. Not anymore.

A soft sigh filled Link’s lungs and he moved, gazing at Sidon with a gentle look of sated contentment. He smiled at Sidon, and the Zora stroked a hand over Link’s soft hair a few times.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, and Link’s smile morphed into a smirk before he shifted enough to move his arms and hands.

_Pretty good_ , Link admitted. _Maybe better than I have in a long time_.

“Maybe?” Sidon prompted, and Link gave a teasing shrug. Sidon hummed before grinding Link’s hips against his body, dragging his nails against Link’s blushing ass and the hero hissed before a smoldering look returned to those blue eyes.

_Maybe not just maybe,_ Link amended as he shifted forward, closing the distance between them, shrouding them in the golden curtain of his hair where the sunlight made it shine. The kiss the hero gave him was decadent, and Sidon was content to allow Link to take control if he liked. When Link pulled away, his lips were swollen and enticing, and it was difficult not to pull him down again.

But outside the sound of birds singing, and the more pressing sound of the early morning fishermen diving and shouting to each other and the faint echo of the guards beginning their morning training routines drifted in, and the burning heat in Link began to fade. He looked out the window, blue eyes growing distant, and Sidon tightened his fingers on the hero’s body to snag his attention again.

“Link.”

Link turned his attention back to him and waited. The openness which he’d shared was closing slightly, and Sidon knew he had to say this now before Link decided it was time to leave. Slowly, the Zora Prince snaked a hand up and around the back of Link’s head before tugging him down so Sidon could press his face into the hero’s neck. Hold the Hylian’s body down against his while he breathed deep and savored the scent that was wholly Link’s.

“Stay,” Sidon breathed into Link’s neck. “I know you’re thinking about leaving. But please. I will give you whatever you need.” His throat constricted as he thought of all the near deaths he’s seen Link come to the Domain with over the last few years, and he tightened his hold on the Hylian. The Champion’s ribs creaked in protest, but Sidon did not stop, and Link did not try to make him stop. “Just _stay_.”

Silence filled the space between them as Sidon waited for the hero to respond. But Link lay there in Sidon’s grasp, neither struggling to get away nor pulling him closer. They stayed like that for a while before Link finally moved.

_Stay?_

Sidon nodded against Link’s shoulder.

“Yes. Stay. I want you to live here. Be my companion and advisor. Be a guardian of the Zora. Be whatever you’d like to be here. Just stay.”

Link’s brows furrowed as he drew back to stare into his eyes. He pulled his hands into view.

_You’re serious?_

“I’ve never been more serious,” Sidon told him. There was no smile on his lips this time. No energetic, princely exuberance. This wasn’t the place for that. This was the place for honesty, and Sidon closed his eyes before pressing his crest against Link’s forehead.

“Your life matters to me, Link. As I’ve told you before, you have saved Hyrule. Now let someone save you.” Sidon opened his eyes and caught intense blue with his gold. “Let _me_ save you, Link. Stay here with me, in the Domain. Stop this crusade.” A claw dug into Link’s exposed hip and the hero gasped, his gaze sharpening. “I can give you what you need.”

_But the rest of Hyrule,_ Link signed slowly. _There are still dangers out there. Monsters that have to be destroyed._

Sidon lifted a hand to cup Link’s cheek, sinking his fingers into his fine hair.

“There are,” the Zora agreed. “But my dearest friend, how many did you personally seek out? Was the need truly so great?”

Link’s eyes widened before they dropped into the darkness between their bodies. Sidon frowned and with tender caresses stroked his hair. In his investigation with the other kingdoms, Sidon had unearthed many things. Many truths. This was one of them. Link would fight Igneo Taluses, not because anyone had asked him to, but because he’d taken it upon himself to fight the most dangerous of foes he could find.

_I was being proactive_ , Link signed with listless motions. _I must protect everyone. Just because Calamity Ganon has been defeated doesn’t mean the threats are gone._

“And I understand that,” Sidon agreed. “But you’ve already trained the next generation of knights. Let them take on the burden. They _want_ to take it. That’s why they became knights.”

_I know that,_ Link admitted. _I do. And I want them to. I don’t_ want _to do everything on my own. It’s just the way it’s always been, and it’s hard to trust that they’ll be able to do the job. It’s so much to ask of anyone._

Sidon stroked Link’s back. He understood. As prince, there was a great deal of responsibility placed on his shoulders, and he would have a difficult time trusting someone else to carry his burden.

“It is,” Sidon said. “But trust must start somewhere. Isn’t that one of the reasons why you left the princess’s service? To allow her and others to adjust without you.”

_I thought it would be easier,_ Link admitted with a soft chuckle. _I kept hearing how good a job they were doing, and I was so proud of them._

“But then you began to doubt yourself,” Sidon said.

_I’m not sure I know who or what I am anymore, Sidon. Even after these last few years traveling by myself trying to figure that out … I just kept fighting. Searching for something stronger. Something … deadly to feel alive again._

“And did you feel alive with me, last night and this morning?”

Link smirked. _Yes_ , he replied. _More than I have in a long while._

“And if I could keep that up?” Sidon asked. “Would you stay then?”

The smirk on Link’s lips started to droop, and his eyes darkened.

_Sex won’t fix everything, Sidon._

“Of course it won’t,” he agreed. “I never promised it would.”

_Then how do you think you could fix me?_ Link asked. _I can feel it. It’ll only be a matter of time before I’ll want to face the Lynel again. Or another Talus, or a Guardian, if there are any left. I’m fine now, but what about later?_

“That’s part of the reason I want you to stay,” Sidon replied. “Let me find ways to convince you to stay. Let me prove to you that, though this is only a start between us, I can give you what you need.”

_But what if you can’t, Sidon?_ Link asked. _I know myself well enough to know I won’t be easy. It took me a month to come back here to try this._

“We won’t know unless you let me try,” Sidon said. “Though it took you a month, you still came back to me. Although there were complications last night, my friend, you are still here with me, are you not?”

The Hylian gave a small huff of mirth that didn’t quite touch his eyes as he slipped deeper into his thoughts. Seeing it, Sidon buried his fingers in Link’s hair and turning his head up so they could meet eyes. So Link could see how serious he was.

“Stay, Link, and I will own you. I will please you. I will punish you. I will give you whatever it is you need. And if you feel one day that I cannot … then I will let you go. But please. Let me try.”

Link stared up at him, his lips parted slightly as if in disbelief. Eventually Link’s arms raised.

_I can’t stay here all the time, Sidon. What if Hyrule needs me one day? What if I need to leave?_

“Then go, or allow me to come with you,” Sidon proposed without missing a beat. “And when you’re done, come back. I don’t want to change who you are, Link. You are a hero, and I want you to be that hero. Be the knight that has saved everyone.” Sidon tucked fine blond hair behind a pointed ear. “I just don’t want you to do it with the intention of getting killed.”

_And you being there will stop that?_

“Me being there will ensure there is someone to watch your back. To help you. I know you’ve done so much on your own since all of this began, but please. Try it my way. It’s dangerous to go alone. Let me help shoulder some of the burdens you feel. Let me help keep you safe.”

_But why?_ Link asked, the confusion in his eyes evident. _Why go so far for me? I am the Hero of Hyrule. I am your friend. But why? I still … I still don’t understand._

“I know what it’s like to be given a terrible burden. And I know what it’s like to feel alone because of it,” Sidon admitted. “I know what it’s like to want to throw it off, to hate it, and then find you’ve defined yourself by it. But that definition, it was taken from you after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. Your life was about that and only that.”

His thumb stroked Link’s hair again, his heart pulsing for this brave soul. 

“But it’s not around anymore, and you don’t know who you are or what you should do. And I know the dark temptations that come from those burdens and definitions. But death and pain, they don’t have to be the answers. As I’ve shown you, there is another way. Just give me the time to prove it.”

A pained look crossed Link’s eyes, and his pulse rose where it beat at his neck.

_Am I really worth it?_ Link asked with a sad look. _Am I worth so much work and effort?_

The look in Link’s blue eyes was tormented. Like he was afraid of the answer, regardless if it was good or bad. In the end, all Sidon could do was stroke the broken hero’s cheek and say with quiet conviction, “Yes, Link. You are worth it, and so much more. You are worth it to me.”

They held each other’s gaze for a long, thick moment as Sidon waited to see how everything would fall. Link took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking around Sidon’s rooms.

_I’ll stay_ , Link finally said before looking back at Sidon, an edge of light and a touch of excitement creeping into his gaze. _You’re right. Trust has to start somewhere. And … I’m choosing to trust you_.

Sidon sucked in a breath before his usual exuberance burst out of him. He curled his palms around Link’s shoulders and smiled brightly.

“You’ll really stay? You’ll stay here in the Domain with me?”

Link smiled. _That’s what I said. But I think we’ll have to figure out some living arrangements if you’re going to do everything you say you’ll do._

“Of course,” Sidon said. “And I’ve already considered it. Naturally, you’ll need your own space. I wouldn’t take that from you. I was thinking you could formally have the suite next to mine, but we’ll have a door between them installed.”

_How long have you been thinking about this?_ Link gestured, his smile turning amused and incredulous.

“After last month? Quite often. I hope that’s not disconcerting.”

_No,_ the Hylian gestured and chuckled. _Sounds pretty perfect to me. I was a little worried this … dynamic between us would make you bossy and insufferable, and that you wouldn’t think of giving me space of my own. It’s nice to see that I’m wrong._

“Oh, you will find that in certain situations I _am_ bossy and insufferable,” Sidon replied, letting heat bleed into his gaze for a moment before it cooled. “But I would never attempt to control you past those situations. You are the Hero of Hyrule. You are the man who saved everyone from Calamity Ganon. Who saved my people. I want you to be here, it’s true, and at night I want you to be mine. But I am not a jailer. I am your lover, and more than that, I am your friend. I would never take your freedom. But with your permission, I’ll do everything I can to curb your darker desires.”

_With my permission?_

“Always,” Sidon promised.

Link’s eyes turned thoughtful, then molten as he shifted around and straddled Sidon’s waist suggestively. Neither of them were recovered from their last round of sex, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t curious about what Link was up to.

_And what if it’s me who wants something from you?_ Link asked, grinding his hips slightly as he prowled up the length of Sidon’s body until they were face-to-face, sharing breath and a heated look. Like this, the hero’s body arched and glowing in the morning light, he looked more mythical than ever. Something seductive and dangerous.

And something so beautiful and precious.

“I’d certainly like to hear about anything you’d want from me. What do you want, my hero?” Sidon crooned, sliding his hands along Link’s body. Link gently ground his hips again, and this time a gentle flush of pleasure rose within Sidon. The Zora wasn’t sure he could say he was all too surprised Link was a needy lover.

But that would only play to his advantage.

He sensed, however, that though Link was teasing, it wasn’t what he had in mind. The Hylian’s body was still ravaged from the sex they’d shared, and it was best to let it recover for now. Besides, he was fairly certain he knew what the hero wanted, and when Link’s lips pressed against his, he wasn’t disappointed.

And Sidon gave and gave and gave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Finally, we have Sidon and Link in a happy and hopeful place (for once), and it's been so much fun getting to this point!
> 
> Now, as you can tell from the chapter counter, there's still a bit of story left so this is how it's about to play out. The next three chapters are going to be little check-ins with the couple to see how they're doing and how Link's progressing. This also marks the transition from one major problem to another (after all, it's not only Link that's got some problems here). After that is the climactic sprint to the end. I hope you're excited. I'm excited.
> 
> I'm also thinking of starting a tumblr blog for those who'd like to follow me there. Would anyone want that? And if so, what would you like to see on it? I never know what sort of things you guys would like to see on fic blogs so ... yeah, let me know.
> 
> Till next Monday!


	8. Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short and sweet(ish) chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Link stared at the darkening sky as he had throughout the day, and finally Sidon broached the topic.

“What’s wrong, my friend? You’ve been preoccupied with the sky all day.”

The Hylian blinked, his blue eyes refocusing from wherever his thoughts had drifted, and he gave Sidon a small smile. These sorts of smiles were becoming more frequent, ever since Link had agreed to stay in the Domain. He still made trips to New Castle Town and the other kingdoms, but those were often day trips, and every time Link returned, that evening Sidon would search for new injuries.

The Zora would reward the hero for any trip he returned with only minor to no injury. For any time he didn’t — which had happened twice in the two months Link had stayed — and Link provided no explanation, Sidon endeavored to remind Link why he was giving Sidon’s way a chance through care, compassion, and a great deal of edging.

Barring those two instances, Sidon saw improvements. Physically, at least, Link was healing. There weren’t any wounds to worry about— except sometimes when they played too aggressively — and Link’s daily activities cooking or searching for ingredients to make elixirs and potions, or training with the Zora rarely put him in any danger.

Mentally it was slow going, but Sidon thought progress was being made. Because of his promise, Link avoided deadly battles, and once when he’d spotted a group of moblins down the pass, the hero had surprised him — surprised everyone — when he’d asked for assistance. He, Rivan, and two other Zora had accompanied Link, and together they’d taken care of the threat with no fatalities and minor wounds on two of their members. Link himself had seemed astonished by how well the fight had gone.

Sidon made sure that, once they’d returned to the Domain, he’d rewarded the hero generously. He was becoming increasingly relieved that the rooms they shared were largely soundproof. Sidon found that with time, patience, and skill, he could make Link _sing_.

Thankfully, he had all three in spades where Link was concerned, and he was more than happy to use them. After all, the control and stability he gave Link’s life seemed to be working. There were still breakdowns. The panic attacks hadn’t stopped, but Sidon was patient and careful, always there to help Link through them. But recently the Champion would look at Sidon sometimes as if he was the only thing keeping him grounded or from flying off. The only thing keeping him from breaking, or going too far.

But with Link looking up at the sky like he was, that familiar darkness edging the hero’s eyes, Sidon watched warily. Waiting for Link’s explanation.

_A storm is coming_ , Link gestured, pointing toward the sky. _A big one. You can feel it on the wind._

Sidon hummed, and indeed, he could feel it on the wind. The breeze was stronger, and the clouds were rolling in. Growing darker as they had for several hours now.

“Do you like the rain, Link? I don’t believe you’ve ever told me.”

Link’s gestures paused for a moment before he slowly replied, _I like the storm._

Patiently, Sidon waited for Link to meet his eyes, to expand but he didn’t. Instead, the Hylian returned his gaze to the sky, his fingers holding the crystal railing as if it was what kept him rooted in place. Judging from the feel of the air, and an entire lifetime spent paying attention to the weather and its more violent moods, Sidon guessed it wouldn’t arrive until later in the night.

And after watching the sky hold his hero’s attention so much today, Sidon was intent on rectifying that. He sunk his fingers into Link’s hair, curling around to the back to gather a handful there. Link sighed as if with relief, reacting instantly. Sidon had performed this move so many times it had become habit, and usually heralded the darker, sensual acts they shared.

Tightening his hold, Sidon turned Link’s head to face him, then tilted it as he leaned forward enough to skim the hero’s lips with his. Those ocean-blue eyes dilated and his features turned coy.

“Careful, hero,” Sidon crooned, tasting Link’s breath with his own. “You’ll make me jealous, paying so much attention to the coming storm.”

_Wouldn’t want that, now would I?_

Sidon’s chuckle was low and dark as he smirked and pulled the Hylian closer.

“No. No, you wouldn’t.”

Sidon kissed Link, and he was sure he had the hero’s undivided attention then, and well into the night.

* * *

 

When Sidon opened his eyes, the sound of thunder as it rolled through the dark room and swelled around him like a wave greeted him where he lay on the bed. Groggy, he rolled onto his side and threw his arm around Link.

Only Link wasn’t there. He wasn’t even on the bed.

Awareness crashed through the fatigue clinging to Sidon, but he didn’t panic. Now that his eyes were open, he saw the Hylian hadn’t gone far, and he hadn’t been away long either. The spot next to him was still warm with residual body heat. It still smelled strongly of the hero. But instead Link stood with his back to him, his gaze trained on the window and the raging storm outside.

Lightning cracked through the air, bleaching the sky and Link a ghostly white before it returned everything back to its natural night black. The thunder followed not long after, ominous and rolling. The rain was steady and melodious as it filled the Domain with its sound.

In the quiet of their room, Sidon heard Link sigh heavily. The outline of the Hylian’s hand on the window pane dropped. The Zora studied his lover for a long moment. Listened to him breathe. Traced his silhouette every time the sky lit before it faded away again.

Finally, he spoke.

“How many times have you tempted the storm?”

To his credit, Link didn’t so much as twitch at the sound of Sidon’s smooth voice. After a moment, Sidon wondered if the Hylian would respond at all or if he’d even heard him speak, but soon Link moved.

When the lightning lit the sky again, it also outlined the shape of four fingers extended across the window pane.

The faint sound of the rain was almost deafening, but Sidon couldn’t say he was surprised. He shifted entirely onto his side, attention focused on Link who stood with his scarred shoulders slightly slumped. There was an edge of longing in the way he stood, longing for the ferocity of the storm, and Sidon frowned. Sidon could remember — not so long ago — when he’d also tempted nature. Tempted the storm. Sought to see who was stronger, he or the lightning nature wielded like a swift javelin of death.

Though he was wiser, though he knew better and had more control, Sidon knew its temptations himself. He understood how the power called to Link. What the storm might do to him if he couldn’t outrun it. If he could not survive it.

When the thunder rolled again, Sidon relaxed.

“Come to bed, Link.”

This time when Sidon spoke, Link responded more readily, and it wasn’t long before he turned. The mattress dipped under the weight of the hero, and soon Link’s hair brushed Sidon’s crest. Sidon tilted his head just enough to catch Link’s lips with his when the Hylian kissed him. It was slow and gentle, deep, and Sidon filled it with understanding as he took control.

Link surrendered easily, more easily than usual, and – answering the silent hero’s unspoken request – Sidon pulled the Hylian down and into the circle of his arms. When he gently tugged at Link with a handful of hair, Sidon looked into quiet, troubled blue eyes lit by a flash of lightning. Sidon’s eyes softened as he pulled Link down for another kiss, hoping it would help wipe the look away.

“Would you like me to light a candle?”

Shrouded in darkness as they were, it was still easy to see the Hylian shake his head, and Sidon traced a hand down the length of the hero’s naked back, following his spine. Link’s breath hushed at the tender sensation, and he settled into the curl of Sidon’s body, warm back pressed against Sidon’s chest.

Once the Hylian had stopped moving, Sidon curled an arm around him. Usually, due to his greater bulk, Sidon was careful of Link when they were intimate like this. He didn’t want to crush him. But this time he knew Link didn’t need or want the consideration.

With a sigh, he leaned his weight against the Hylian, pressing Link down into the mattress and trapping him there along the cage of Sidon’s own body. Sidon tucked his head next to Link’s and felt the hero resist the compression for a breath, then another which came out a slight wheeze. After that, however, Link submitted and Sidon felt him go slack. The Zora tightened more, constricting closer and closer, locking Link in a vice he’d be hard-pressed to wiggle out from.

“Sleep, my hero,” he whispered into Link’s ear. “You chose me, not the storm. I won’t let you go.”

Link’s next breath came as a shudder, and his hands clung to Sidon’s. His legs wove between Sidon’s, and for a moment Link’s body grew taunt again. Testing himself. Testing Sidon and his strength.

With stoic awareness, Sidon didn’t budge, and again Link’s body went limp with gratitude. Thunder rolled through them as the storm continued to pour its rain and place its lightning. No matter that dawn was hours away, sleep felt far from Sidon as he gazed at the Hero of Hyrule.

Four times Link had ventured into a storm. Four times Link had tested it, tempted it to do its worst with the awareness of what might happen to him if lightning struck. Sidon wondered when those times had been. Before Calamity Ganon? After? Both? It chilled him to think it might be after, given that Mipha’s healing grace no longer rested upon Link. None of the former Champion’s blessings did, now that they’d moved on.

Link was strong, but to survive a lightning strike? Perhaps with his rubber armor, but if the appeal had been in the threat and possibility of pain or death, he wouldn’t have worn it.

Tightening his hold into something that was almost ruthless, Sidon clung to Link as he worked through his private anxiety at the very thought of how lucky he was — all of Hyrule was — that Link was still here and still alive. Nature did not care who or what it took. It just did, and Sidon was no fool. Link, standing before the window as he had been, had evidently been contemplating a fifth chance. Even with Sidon sleeping mere feet away. The Hylian had looked at the storm and had considered it.

But Link had also come back to bed when he’d called.

“The storm can’t have you,” Sidon murmured, his voice a soft growl at the end. “I will keep you safe. I will bind you here through every storm if I must.”

Link’s hold on him tightened, and impossibly the hero managed to curl into him deeper, as if Sidon’s larger body was his only refuge. The place he weathered the storm of his mind, safe with Sidon locking him down and keeping him from doing something reckless. Dangerous.

Soft lips pressed into the side of Sidon’s wrist before warm breath settled along it, and Sidon nuzzled Link’s hair.

“Sleep.”

And to Sidon’s immense relief, with the storm booming outside and the lightning flashing and the thunder reverberating in their chests, Link slept. He slept through the night and the storm, and all the while Sidon kept his promise. Even once the sky cleared to a crisp, starry night.

Even once the Domain fell silent, and all Sidon could hear was the steady sound of Link’s breath, and the calm beat of his heart against Sidon’s own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter (oddly enough it's one of my personal favorites lol), and I'd love to know what you thought! Just a reminder that the next couple of chapters are going to be short snapshots like this one, and then they'll lengthen out again. Either way, I hope you'll like them :]
> 
> And thank you to everyone who encouraged me to start a tumblr for this. You can find my tumblr page [here](https://mori-writes.tumblr.com/). It's under construction, so bear with me, but I hope to see you there!


	9. Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we start transitioning into other problems. But first, how about a picnic? I hope you enjoy!

Restless tension had underscored Link’s actions for days, and Sidon was intent on getting to the bottom of it, despite Link’s stubborn refusal to communicate what was bothering him this time. And it was exactly why he’d cleared time in his schedule to entice the Hylian on a small journey into the highlands.

The trip thus far had been light and good-willed. They swam together up the falls. Link showed Sidon all his favorite places in the cliffs above the Domain. The sunken ruins. The unique insects which could be found only there. The incredible view of the ocean where it spanned endless on the horizon.

It wasn’t long, however, until Sidon led Link to a small pool which overlooked the Domain. It was a beautiful place with grass and flowers and its own small waterfall. An ancient shrine stood proudly atop the cliff ledge, and after a satisfying lunch – one his hero impressed Sidon with, created over a fire using a creative batch of ingredients he’d collected throughout his recent travels – the excitement of exploration was gentling out into soft companionship.

They sat together overlooking Zora’s Domain as the sun made its slow descent through the sky from noon to afternoon, and the peace which held between them in the balmy sunshine was like a breath of fresh air from both of their duties.

Still. Sidon had come here with Link for a reason.

“You’ve been tense lately,” Sidon said. “Would you tell me what’s bothering you?”

Link was staring at the deep blue sky, and for a moment Sidon thought he’d brush the topic off again like he’d done the last few days. Instead his eyes darkened slightly, and with a soft grunt Link heaved himself up to his feet. The wind caught his blond hair and tugged at it and made it dance across his cheekbones, and dressed in his Zora suit like he was, the sight was breathtaking.

Then Link took a few steps forward, closer and closer to the cliff edge.

_I received a letter from the princess the other day,_ Link signed as he stared at the jewel of the Domain below, the palace shining in the light above the glistening waters. _She wanted to tell me that a contingency of Hylian Knights encountered a Talus last week._

An inkling of realization pooled within Sidon as he watched the hero. He didn’t think Link would try anything foolish, even if he eyed the feet between Link and the edge carefully.

“What happened?”

Link’s lips split into an agonized smile. _They did very well. According to the princess, they managed to kill it with zero casualties. No one even got injured._

“That’s good,” Sidon said, waiting for the truth to spill itself out.

_It is,_ agreed Link, even as he kicked a rock over the ledge. _It’s very good news._  

Studying the Hylian where he stood at the edge of the cliff, dangerously close, Sidon understood why the hero had been so bothered these last several days.

“Let them take the mantle from you, Link. You are not the only hero in Hyrule anymore,” Sidon reminded him quietly, leaning forward so he could trace a sharp claw delicately along the scaled fabric of Link’s Zora suit. A tiny shiver raced through the smaller man, making him shift into a more dangerous position despite the relaxing of his shoulders. “Is it so bad that others now rise up to take your place? To assume your burden for you and succeed.”

Even with Link’s body faced away from him, his gestures were clear.

_Sometimes I think they shouldn’t have to._

“So you should be Hyrule’s one and only defender?” Sidon questioned, and Link glanced over his shoulder.

_Of course not._

“Then why are you tormenting yourself?” The claw tracing designs into Link’s back, his shoulder blade, rose higher until he clasped the Hylian’s shoulder. With a tug he urged Link back, and a small flood of satisfaction spread through Sidon when the Champion didn’t resist.

_Who says I’m tormenting myself?_ Even as the Hylian posed his question, he wouldn’t raise his blue eyes to meet Sidon’s. _I’m here, aren’t I? With you._ He gave a weak smile. _That’s never a torment or punishment._

Though pleasure rose in Sidon’s heart at the simple admission, it was swept away by the more pressing concern.

“I can see you thinking about it. Turning it over in your mind,” Sidon said. “You’ve been playing with dark thoughts again. I hope you see why I’m concerned.”

Link sighed. _I know you’re concerned. It’s part of the reason I didn’t leave the Domain after I read that letter._ Link swallowed but continued. _I almost did. I almost … left, just to find a Talus of my own. To take one down and prove I’m still a hero, even if I got hurt doing it. I didn’t think of you. And when I remembered, I didn’t_ want _to think of you._

“But you did,” Sidon replied, stroking a thumb along Link’s shoulder.

_Of course I did,_ Link replied with a weak smile. _I may be broken, but I’d be a fool not to see the good you’re helping me find. I don’t wake up and immediately hate the fact that I’m awake. I don’t go through my days hating myself or angry as often. More and more I care about helping Captain Bazz train the guards, or collecting ingredients across Hyrule for whoever asks, or learning from Laflat or Muzu than I have about fighting._

A faint blush colored the Champion’s cheeks, but Link didn’t hide his eyes.

_When I’m away … I start to wonder what you’re doing. Where you are. If you’re missing me. And the longer I’m away, the more I can’t wait to come back here. To you._

Sidon took a slow breath, body light.

“Link.”

_I know I’m getting better. And I’m so_ relieved _by the change,_ Link carried on, even as his eyes turned tortured. _It’s just hard sometimes, because a part of me wants to go back to the way things were. To the fighting and the pain. To leave, even though it would put me back where I was. Even though it would kill me. But I don’t_ want _that._

Sidon pulled Link closer, his heart roaring with warmth and tight concern. With all the care and love in the world he felt for this one Hylian.

“If you had left,” Sidon told him, his voice deepening and bordering on a growl. “I would have come after you. I would have found you. Hunted you down.” A thrill raced down Sidon’s spine, ending with a heady flash of satisfaction when Link smirked slightly. “I would have brought you back, tied up if I had to.”

_But you said you’d let me leave if I wanted to, when we started this,_ Link said. _I could make up some sort of excuse. I am the Hero of Hyrule, and if I said Hyrule needed me, would you have stopped me?_

Sidon considered his question. “If that had been the case, my friend, I would’ve insisted on coming with you. But if you’d left without saying anything, I’d have known the truth. You’ve told me every time you’ve left. If you left without saying a word, I’d know. And I’d come after you.”

One of Link’s hands stroked the fin hanging beside Sidon’s cheek.

_To force me to stay?_

“No,” Sidon said with gentle eyes. “I would bring you back because Zora’s Domain is your home, Link.” The Zora slipped a hand into Link’s fine hair. “And because, for the time at least, you are still mine. I wouldn’t have you rushing off into danger to prove something you don’t need to prove anymore.”

The rough breath Link took was filled with relief, and he nodded slowly.

_Thank you, Sidon. I think I needed to hear that. I think sometimes I don’t believe you’d do that. That you’d let me go, even though I know better._ Link abruptly gave him a lively smile. _Float in the water with me for a while?_

“You know I’ll never say no to that,” Sidon said with a smirk before he raced Link to the water and they dove in. They played for a while before inevitably ending up wrapped around each other, kissing and pawing before Link sat astride Sidon’s hips, pressing kisses into his chest and trying to tease and entice him further.

_When are you ever going to take me on both your cocks?_ Link asked when he sat up. _It’s been months, Sidon. Haven’t I done enough to earn it? As a matter of fact, on another note, I’ve been wanting to tell you that you can be rougher with me._ His eyes were molten. _I understand why you weren’t in the beginning, but I_ am _better, Sidon. I want you to be rougher with me, not only for my pleasure, but for yours as well. Sometimes it feels like you’re holding back. I can take it._

Ah, this. Sidon had wondered when this topic of discussion would come up, and in truth, he’d tried to avoid it. But it seemed fair play that if he’d pulled an answer from Link, Link should get a fair answer in exchange.

“I told you before that I’m different from many of the other Zora,” Sidon said as he enjoyed the feel of Link settled on top of him. “It’s obvious. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, many of the Zora take after a certain type of sea creature, and that is their sub-type. Generally, they’re a type of fish or dolphin. Muzu takes after a sting-ray. Though we were siblings, Mipha took after the dolphin, and I the shark.”

_It’s hard not to notice_ , Link agreed with a quick smirk as he traced over Sidon’s crest, then along his lips to edge at the sharp teeth there. _Is there some meaning behind it? I noticed besides you that the only other shark-type is your father, the King._

“I wouldn’t say it has a meaning,” Sidon said. “Each sub-type comes with its own specific advantages and disadvantages. A dolphin-type like Mipha will always be more graceful and agile than a sting-ray-type, which has better defensive abilities and endurance. Shark-types like myself and my father are very strong. Very powerful.”

_Very large and endowed?_ Link supplied with a grin that made Sidon snort.

“I can’t say anything about my father, but I am above average in most ways to the typical Zora male,” Sidon agreed. “But that’s normal in Zora culture. The diversity in shape, skill, and ability is what makes us such an enduring race. There is always someone around who is capable of handling any given situation.”

_Then it sounds like you’ve been blessed with your type,_ Link signed. _You’re strong. Powerful. Intelligent. Endowed._

“I feel like that’s the selling point for you.”

_So why are you holding back?_ Link carried on. _It seems like you have no weaknesses. What is there to worry about?_

Sidon hummed as he curled his hands around both of Link’s legs just to hold them. He stroked a clawed thumb along those long muscles and was pleased when a delicate shiver climbed the Hylian’s back.

“Tell me, my friend. Have you ever seen a shark?”

Link shook his head. _No, but I’ve heard about them. They’re very dangerous._

“They are,” agreed Sidon. “They are the apex predators of the water. Powerful and deadly.” Sidon chose his next words. “Prone to aggression and frenzy.”

Cool intelligence lit Link’s eyes, and he frowned slightly. _Is that why you hold back? You might …._

“I might lose control,” Sidon agreed with a nod. “Shark-type Zora like my father and I are powerful, but it’s a good thing we are also rare. That power comes with the burden and risk of frenzy.” He stroked Link’s skin. “If I lost control, if I became swept away by my urges and they gave way to my aggression, I could become a true monster. Kill many of my kinsmen without even realizing it.”

_Is that a real risk_?

“Usually no,” Sidon admitted. “When a shark-type Zora is born, they are given special training to learn how to control their urges. I told you some time ago that Mipha was always worried about me getting injured. That I’d known from experience that I could survive the dive off Shatterback Point. It’s because when I was younger, I lacked the control I have now. I fought often, tested my abilities and limits. It’s not uncommon for Zora like me to die in childhood or adolescence if they cannot learn control soon enough.”

_But you’ve learned control,_ Link countered. _Why are you still holding back?_

“Because my control isn’t perfect. I’m still susceptible in the right circumstances.” Sidon’s eyes grew molten as he gazed at Link. “You often tempt those circumstances.”

Link’s eyes widened. _Am I a danger to you and your people, because of what we do?_

Sidon chuckled and smiled adoringly at the smaller man. The hero in Link was never far from him. Sidon was thankful for that.

“If anyone’s in danger, it’s you. But that’s why you chose me, isn’t it? Part of it.” Link struggled to look him in the eye, and Sidon tipped his chin up to force ocean-blue to meet his gold. “I know. And I’m not angry. Truly, so long as I’m in control, you are safe. Everyone is. I work very hard to ensure it.”

_But you said I tempt you._

“And you do,” Sidon agreed. “I know you want me to be rough with you. I want to be rough with you.”

Link’s eyebrows vanished into his hair, and a slow smile pulled at the Zora’s lips.

“What? You thought I’ve been so clever with your body because I don’t want to lose my princely demeanor?” His hands tightened on the hero’s body, claws digging into his flesh as he looked at Link hungrily. “So many of my fantasies revolve around pushing you down, restraining you, taking you until you scream on both my cocks and your voice gives out before sinking my teeth into your body. Repeatedly.”

A sharp breath ripped from Link’s throat, his pupils dilating in an instant as his lips parted with desire.

_You should. You should do that, Sidon. I can take it. I_ want _to_.

Arousal built low in Sidon’s body, his cocks hardening within his sheath to see the desire so clear in the Hylian’s eyes. Desire aching to draw out and please the beast in him.

Much as Sidon wanted to stoke that fire, he knew the true danger which lay there. Though he gave Link a gentle smile, he shook his head.

“I have no doubt,” Sidon said. “None at all. But what you don’t understand is that if I let go and give up control, physical pleasure might not be my reaction. Link, the beast, it might instead decide to kill you. Tear you apart. I have no idea how I might react if you were around during a frenzy. And given our intimate nature, the other Zora might not be able to stop me in time. You would be defenseless and completely at my mercy.”

_I am not defenseless, Sidon._

Sidon stroked fingers over armored scales. “I know that. And you know what I mean, Link. The nature of our relationship … any hesitation on your part could lead to death, and I cannot risk it. I can’t risk you.”

_What if I was willing to risk it?_ Link asked thoughtfully. _If we could find out how you react to me while you’re in a frenzy, then you could know for sure if you could let go or not. For what it’s worth, I think you won’t kill me._

“Always so willing to play with danger,” Sidon muttered with a smile as he gripped the Hylian and let the silence of the highlands sweep around them as if it might take with it Link’s offer. He wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t risk it no matter how much Link might trust him. In this, he couldn’t. Even if he wished he could. “Am I not enough for you now?”

_I never said that_ , Link said as he pressed a semi-hard erection against Sidon’s stomach and pressed a kiss to his lips. _I never said that at all_.

“Good. You almost made me doubt myself.”

In a swift move, Sidon lifted the Hylian forward, high on his chest so Link’s thighs dropped to either side of his neck, while at the same time tugging the front of Link’s Zora leggings down. Link’s cock sprang out within easy reach, and Link gave a sharp gasp and clung to Sidon’s crest as Sidon took him in his mouth. Before Link could bring the topic up again, Sidon did everything in his power to pleasure the hero so well that all thoughts of Sidon’s wild nature were shoved from his mind.

From both of theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it! We're starting to move into Sidon's problems now and I'm very excited to see what you all will think of it.
> 
> If you'd like, you can follow me at my tumblr [here](https://mori-writes.tumblr.com/). I've been asking some questions about what I'll be writing next there, and if you're interested in chiming in, that's a good place to do it.
> 
> Till next time!


	10. Beastly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rare action chapter has appeared! I hope you enjoy!

The visit to Lake Hylia wasn’t supposed to be long. It wasn’t even supposed to be difficult or treacherous.

And yet it was only by the Goddess’s good grace that no one had been killed.

Sidon had received a letter from Princess Zelda earlier in the month which expressed her concern with a possible problem growing in Hyrule’s great lake. Livestock was reported missing, the prevalent fish in the waters were all but non-existent, and many Hylians who lived near the lake claimed to see something occasionally swimming in the depths. Something large and dangerous.

Zelda had requested Zora assistance along with the aid of the Hero of Hyrule, and Prince Sidon in an entirely predictable response had graciously accepted on both their behalves, after Link gave a nod of affirmation.

It had been some time since Sidon had visited the major lake of Hyrule, and he’d known Link was interested in some time away from the Domain, especially if it meant they’d travel together. They’d been eager to leave and within a few days, accompanied by a small squad of Zora guards, had taken to the waters and begun their journey.

Traveling by river meant it took significantly less time than it would’ve on land, and after a day’s journey and a night of rest where Link impressed everyone with his superior cooking skills, they’d arrived at the great lake about mid-day to meet the contingency of Hylian Knights stationed to receive them.

With Link coordinating with the Hylians, Prince Sidon and his Zora began the underwater investigation of the lake, and during that time they found decidedly little. Sidon was troubled by the lack of fish and marine life which should exist in a healthy lake such as this, but the longer he and his Zora investigated the depths, the more certain Sidon became that there was nothing here.

They’d stepped out of the water near evening for dinner to report what they’d found. The Hylian Knights seemed relieved, but he knew the look in Link’s eyes almost the moment he saw it.

Link wanted to check himself.

“You know, my friend,” Sidon said, not at all offended by Link’s need to check his or his Zora’s work. “There’s a small island in the middle of the lake, one with a shrine located at the heart of it. I haven’t checked there. Perhaps you’d like to come with me, after our meal?”

He had, in fact, checked the island, and thoroughly. But checking it wasn’t at all what he wanted to do there, and judging from the knowing look Link gave him, he suspected the hero knew that.

And Link most certainly didn’t say no.

Still, as they prepared for the swim under the moonlit lake, he told Dunma where they were headed in the event of an emergency, and that they might be gone a while. Dunma only gave him a slight smirk before she bowed and wished them a safe journey, and to scream if they needed anything.

And not scream too loudly otherwise.

It amused Sidon how well the other Zora had taken to his and Link’s relationship. No one had said a word about the intimate nature of it, but it seemed everyone knew they were quite amorous behind their closed doors, despite the soundproofing. And to his and Link’s immense relief, no one seemed to mind either. As a matter of fact, there appeared to be a general approval from everyone, given that it appeared both he and Link — Link in particular — were thriving.

His people approved. The Council of Elders approved. His father even approved.

And that was enough for all of them.

So as twilight descended, he and Link swam out to the small island to ‘investigate’ and eagerly began pawing each other, but just as Sidon was about to strip the Zora suit from Link’s body, they both heard something in the water and froze.

“Did you hear that?”

Link’s eyes all but glowed in the low moonlight as he pulled from Sidon’s hold and peered at the dark lake. Across the way, they could see the lights of camp and the shape of the great bridge, but otherwise the lake was still as ever.

But Sidon’s senses were rising, and he was already in the water submerged up to his neck before he turned back to Link.

“I’ll check under the water.”

Link nodded as he pulled out his bow just in case and Sidon sunk under the surface, his sharp eyes adjusting to the murky below.

Just as he’d found in the day, he found nothing now, but there was a feel in the water that seemed different. A silence or a stillness. Though there’d been very little to share the lake with during the day, he saw no fish now. He saw nothing.

Then he heard something. Fins. A tail. The sound of a creature big and powerful and fast.

And it wasn’t him.

Sidon saw the red eyes gleaming moments before it darted for his body, shadowed jaws open to reveal rows of sharp teeth. It was only his swift instincts which carried him out of reach. Now, under the dim light of the moon, he saw what it was.

A monster. A giant sea snake.

And it was hungry.

With a deft kick, Sidon pivoted in the water and burst out of it and the creature roared, its voice echoing through the night as it attempted to follow him out of the water. Its bulk was too much and it dropped back into the lake, but when he landed near Link, the Hylian was on edge, gesturing for answers. Across the way, the Hylian Knights were shouting and Sidon’s contingency of Zora were already diving into the water.

“It’s a sea snake. They’re very dangerous,” Sidon told Link. “The combat will take place far below the surface, but in case we cannot kill it, I need you to organize the knights in case it attempts to beach itself and attack those on land.”

_Will you all be all right?_

“Never fear, my friend,” Sidon said with a grin as he curled his fist in confidence. “They’re hard to defeat and they’re rare, but we have fought them before.”

“Prince Sidon.” It was Dunma, having swum directly there. “Your orders?”

“Escort Link back to the knights, in case there’s another sea snake. After you have, join me below with the others. We’ll handle this.”

Although the disapproval was clear in Link’s face, this would be an underwater battle and Link could not breathe underwater. Sidon needed him away from the fight since he couldn’t fight or command while also sparing an eye to ensure Link didn’t drown. Still, Link let Sidon go without comment and turned to Dunma who quickly escorted the Hylian cross the lake to safety.

When Sidon arrived, the fight was well under way as his Zora guards attempted to force the snake to reveal a soft spot, but they were having problems. Sidon took his sword and swam forward, slashing across its belly and it writhed and turned on him. He swam, leading it through the water and extending it out so the others could take their opportunities attacking before he flipped in the water and glided along the side of it, his sword slashing again.

As dangerous as sea snake battles were, with time and coordination they could be killed, and once Dunma returned the fight drew out as they steadily worked it down by playing bait, attacking, then repeating the process. Eventually, they added Link and the Hylian Knights in to help by arranging the battle so that occasionally they jumped out of the water and lead the serpent to the surface where the Hylians shot arrows at it. It was Sidon’s turn to lead the snake to the surface, and as he dove back into the water, he heard the sound of an explosion followed by a beastly scream. A bomb arrow must have found its mark.

The sea snake collapsed back into the water, stunned as blood poured out of it, and the suddenness of so much blood in around him hit Sidon hard. It stunned him, and that was his mistake.

The sea snake rippled its body and sharp teeth sank into his side and Sidon grimaced in the water before jamming his sword into the creature’s skull. Bubbles burst out of its mouth, and it let Sidon go as it thrashed and tried to get away. Sidon dropped a hand to his side, kicking for distance, but with his injury and surprise, the taste in the water sank deep into his senses and his mind skittered to a halt.

Blood. There was so much blood in the water.

And the beast within Sidon was ravenous for revenge.

Despite the darkness all around him, Sidon began to see red. His body felt hot, his mind fuzzy as hunger and the need to rip and tear pulled at his muscles and made his teeth ache.

His eyelids fluttered and his fingers tensed as beastly power filled his muscles and threatened to claim his mind as more and more blood curled around him. As the threat of danger and his own wounds drove it higher until it was maddening.

Bloodlust. Frenzy. His mind flickered as the urge overwhelmed him.

The beast Sidon kept locked tight within grinned as it raced to the front of his mind.

“Swim!” one of the Zora shouted. “Blood frenzy!”

What happened next happened as if from far away to Sidon, and most of it was nothing more than a whirl of action and sensations. Red-tinged water. The shouts and hollers of other Zora as they rapidly vacated the waters. The feel of flesh and cartilage and bone in his jaws and under his claws. The thrill of the fight. The pleasure of the kill at his hands.

The hunger.

When his body was his again and he’d wrangled conscious thought from beastly desire, the moon was high above when last he remembered it had been on the horizon. The water was cleaner with only the faintest taste of blood tainting it, and the chum left from the frenzy was drifting away. The torn body of the sea snake was already resting at the base of the lake, lifeless and still.

Sidon felt full, and with the latent feral energy still buzzing within his muscles, with the beast still so close to the surface despite its sated urges, the last thing he wanted was to pull it to the surface again.

Besides, he needed to get back to the others and report that the threat had been destroyed.

Most of all, he needed to get back to Link.

Before he did that, however, he took the long way, swimming around the lake to clear whatever blood still lingered in his system and to work off some of the hot energy twisting within his body. When he felt he was safe and no longer a threat to others, he broached the surface and slowly made for the lake-edge.

Link was there waiting with Dunma, the other Zora, and the Hylian Knights. The Hylians looked interested in news of what had happened, but his Zora were all studying him as they were trained to. Trying to decide if he was safe and of sane mind. He saw Dunma lift her hand to Link just in case, and was grateful beyond words.

“The sea snake will bother no one any longer,” Sidon said as clearly as he could, keeping the growl out of his voice though it lingered right at the edge of it. “I was able to kill it. As far as I can tell, that was the only thing in the waters, but it might be best to wait the night. See if anything else comes.”

The Hylians visibly relaxed and his Zora did the same, each giving him a nod or small smile before they worked with the Hylians and tended to their duties.

Link shoved passed Dunma and approached Sidon, blue eyes serious and concerned.

_Are you all right?_

Sidon took a slow breath as he looked at the Hylian, his heart aching. In the water, in the midst of a blood frenzy, Sidon was at his safest. He was the most powerful, vicious thing there was. Of course he was all right, despite the bite wound on his side.

But he also knew from the quiet look in Link’s eyes that his physical well-being wasn’t what he was talking about.

“I will be,” Sidon said, eyes softening at the clear care the Hylian showed him. “I’m just relieved Dunma and the others were able to keep you all out and away from the water while I … took care of the threat.”

“You should rest, my Prince,” Dunma said discreetly. “The area is secure. We and the Hylian Knights will keep an eye on the lake in case of any other disturbances.” Dunma shot Link a side-glance. “Perhaps Master Link could tend to your wounds? Your tent has been set up. We will be fine in both your absence.”

Link strode forward and snagged Sidon’s hand in a hold that told him there was no argument in this, and that the little Hylian would beat him and tie him down himself if he had to.

Link’s touch was fearless. And it was warm.

So Sidon went, even as caution tugged at him, but before he completely conceded, he addressed Dunma.

“Please call for me if there are any other complications.”

“Of course, my Prince.”

Their tent was a den of warmth, one Link led him into quietly before closing the flap behind them. Now that the frenzy had abated, now that the latent energy was fading, Sidon’s muscles felt used and tired, and he groaned as he lowered himself onto the bedroll. Link lit a lantern but set it on the far end of the tent, casting them both in twilight ambiance before he stripped out of his boots and tunic, though he left his Zora leggings on. The sight of that sun-tanned skin was enticing, but the most Sidon could bring himself to do was stroke Link’s back.

Silently, Link inspected the wound on Sidon’s side before clinically applying first aid. Sidon had explained some time ago that he recovered from injuries quickly, that his skin was thick and though he was bleeding slightly, it was clear the damage wasn’t severe. Only after Link had cleaned the wounds and wrapped his torso in swaths of bandages did he finally address Sidon.

_You should’ve let us help you_. _You should’ve drawn it on land so we could’ve done more than we did._

Sidon gave a soft chuckle. “But Link, my dearest. I know it was dark, but I’m sure you saw that I took care of the creature well enough on my own. I wasn’t even in danger. Besides, you and your knights’ arrows were plenty help.”

_If that’s the case, then why do you look so distressed?_

Sidon’s soft, torn smile slipped, and he took a deep breath as he studied the Hylian. Then he pulled Link into his arms, curling him against his body as he pressed his face into Link’s neck. 

“I am just relieved no one was hurt. Hurt because of me. That you didn’t have to see me like … that.”

Link shifted a little to move his arms and hands.

_That’s you too, Sidon. I’m not afraid._

“Always so brave,” Sidon said sadly. “If you’d seen what I’d done for yourself, I wonder if you’d still think that?”

_I know you, Sidon._

Sidon’s chest squeezed with hope and longing, even as the worry and the fear beat at him. Link _did_ know him. Sidon didn’t think there was anyone who knew him better.

But Link did not know the beast, and Sidon, despite his great affection for the Hero of Hyrule, could not guarantee the beast would adore him just as much.

Or if it would tear him apart instead, like it had the sea snake.

Sidon’s hold on the Hylian tightened. “Just let me hold you,” the Zora breathed. “Your scent is calming.”

For a moment he thought Link would try to say something, to sign his concern or pry more out of him. Instead, the Hylian relaxed, and short arms curled around Sidon’s body as he held him back. A shudder rolled through Sidon as he pressed his face deeper into Link’s neck, grounding himself as one of Link’s hand stroked the back of his tail.

He fell asleep like that, cuddled up against Link with the scent of wind and sweat and wheat all around him, and in the morning Link didn’t ask for more. Didn’t press, even as discomfort rolled through Sidon that he might. Though he’d explained about the blood frenzy, it had been dark, and there was no way for Link to truly see how bad it was.

But Sidon thought Link could guess given his dampened mood and forced enthusiasm when it was otherwise effortless. Dunma and the others understood because they’d gone through this with him before and the Hylians did not, but Link?

Link looked at him as if he was starting to see the core of him for the first time.

And there was no fear there. None at all, when there should have been.

So when it was time to leave, and they parted ways with the Hylian Knights after asking them to relay the message that the lake was safe again and that he and Link would both be coming to the annual banquet in a month’s time, Link swam next to Sidon. And when the Hylian’s formidable endurance gave out, he rode on Sidon’s back, and Link’s hands held onto him fearlessly as if he were unafraid of the beast hidden deep within Sidon’s soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So more of a taste of Sidon's primal side along with more of his worries! I know, I know. When are we getting to the spicy bits? THEY ARE COMING. TAGS ARE ABOUT TO GET UPDATED. They're going to get a smidge hotter next chapter, then no holds barred after that. We're getting close to the end, my friends. I hope you'll like what I've got in store!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear what you thought about it! If you'd like, you can follow me [here](https://mori-writes.tumblr.com/).


	11. Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, here we go. We're really close to the end now, guys. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Seated next to Teba as he had been the previous year, Sidon smiled broadly as they watched Link pass through the crowd on his way to the representative’s table.

Beside him, the corner of the Rito’s eyes lifted as his beak curled into an approving smile.

“He looks happier. More alive than I think I’ve seen him,” Teba said. “I hear you’re the one to thank. You spoke with him after all?”

“I did,” Sidon said, his eyes lingering on Link, tracing his form. The Hylian looked beautiful and healthy. Vibrant. Alive. There was no hint of weariness or pain on him. No sought-out injuries. No dark inclinations edging his behaviors.

At least, none that he hadn’t wanted Sidon to indulge him with.

“Well, I don’t know what you told him, but I’m glad he listened,” the Rito said. “Link’s stubborn.”

_You have no idea_ , thought Sidon. But he didn’t hide his smile of pride. “He is. I thought perhaps a little stability might stop him from behaving so rashly.”

Teba hitched a dark eyebrow at Sidon, and his smile pulled into a grin. “And that’s why you asked him to stay in your Domain? As your advisor, right?”

It was difficult not to let his own smile turn smug. “In part.”

Teba chuckled before reaching for his chalice of wine. “Well, who would’ve thought.”

Frankly, not Sidon. Never in a hundred years. But it was funny how things like these often turned out. He was glad though. He couldn’t recall a time he’d ever been happier than he was now. According to Link, neither could he.

When Link finished his rounds, the Hylian smiled at him before taking the vacant seat between Princess Zelda and the Zora.

“You looked like you enjoyed yourself.”

_I don’t think I’ve been this excited about the banquet since it began_ , Link admitted, reaching for his wine after he finished gesturing.

“That’s wonderful news. I pray that all the ones in the future will be just as joyful and exciting.”

Link’s eyes softened as he used smaller, less visible signs to speak this time.

_They should be, so long as it’s a future with you in it._

A warm hand slipped under the table to caress Sidon’s thigh, and Sidon covered it just as gently with his own, warmth filling his eyes.

“For as long as you choose to stay, I will make it so.”

_Careful, Prince Sidon,_ Link said with a coy glance. _That might be forever._

Sidon’s heart thudded in his chest, and though it was a risk, a gamble, he let the words slide out of his mouth anyway. “Then forever it will be. I have no problem with that.”

Link paused, eyes widening in surprise as a light blush dusted his cheeks. The hand in his tightened and the look in the Hylian’s eyes changed rapidly from confusion, to shock, to hopeful disbelief. He was about to lift his hands, but a lovely voice interrupted them.

“What are you two being so secretive about over here?” Princess Zelda asked with a grin. “Care to share?”

“We’re talking about marriage proposals,” Sidon said smoothly. “I just received one very recently. I was about to ask our hero what he thought of the match.”

The blush on Link’s face grew deeper, and for all his careful stoicism in life and battle, Link’s emotions came through so clearly. Or, at least, it did to Sidon’s practiced eyes.

“You’re engaged?” Princess Zelda gasped. “Should I be offering congratulations?”

“No, not yet,” Sidon replied. “It was simply an offer. Nothing has been finalized.”

“Would you want it to be?”

The hand still in his tightened and Sidon answered honestly. “I would.” Link’s soft breath hitched and his hand was tighter than ever. “It might take some time though. There are many hurdles.”

“Is that according to the Zora tradition?” Zelda questioned, her innate curiosity piqued and her eyes shining at the prospect of information. “I’d certainly like to learn more about that.”

“In part,” Sidon replied. “I’d much rather hear about the Hylian marriage traditions. As I understand it, you’ve been engaged?”

A deeper blush swept across her cheeks, and Sidon wondered if it was this way with all Hylians. Easy to blush and excite. Zelda began speaking of her betrothed with a happy smile as she indicated a man seated at one of the nearby tables, a well-dressed aristocrat with a kind smile. Prince Sidon nodded and asked questions at all the right moments, but his mind was focused solely on Link, who also listened dutifully to Zelda.

But the hand in his, it never let go. And the smile on Link’s lips was radiant. To see how far this man had come, from the brink of death to the epitome of life, it was truly astounding.

And Link wanted to share it all with him.

The banquet continued as good conversation and great food was had, and the celebration swelled with merriment. Zelda announced the date of her wedding with the handsome Count Gerald. Yunobo announced that the Goron – who’d been working with Purah for the last few years – had successfully developed a new type of machine using the parts harvested from broken Guardians, machines that would help monitor danger in case there was a rise in darkness again. The young chief Riju had nothing to report and seemed quite proud of that fact, and all Sidon and Teba could add were that things were going well for their nations.

All the while Link smiled, and though he had to pull his hand away a few times to answer questions, eat, respond, eat, it always returned at some point back to Sidon’s leg.

Though, as the evening grew longer and more wine was had, his touches stopped being so chaste.

Clever fingers traced along Sidon’s thigh as Link listened to Princess Zelda, and Sidon smirked into his chalice as he sipped the wine and conversed with his Rito compatriot. Oh, Link was too tempting. He wondered if the Hylian would try to start something under cover of the shrouded table. Perhaps he and Teba were wrong? What if all Sidon had done was turn that yearning for danger away from something physical and life-threatening to something sexual and socially damning?

Sidon wondered when he stopped caring?

As he spoke to Teba and engaged him in energetic conversation, he dropped his hand under the table to take Link’s wandering fingers and place them at his pelvic slit where they might do some good. Those digits froze, even as Sidon retrieved his hand so he could gesture the size of the giant octorok he’d once encountered, but he was pleased when they took up again, tracing the slit before slowly slipping in.

With control developed over a lifetime, Sidon kept his cocks tightly sheathed within, but let them rise just enough so those questing fingers had something to touch and stroke. It wouldn’t be enough to start anything, just simple teasing, but simple teasing always led to much more when they were alone.

And already the ideas that were forming in his mind. He wouldn’t try anything which might render Link overly vocal, since this was Princess Zelda’s home, and first and foremost he was a prince. He would conduct himself as a prince should when visiting other dignitaries. It didn’t stop him from considering gagging the hero, however.

At the very least, it would muffle Link’s screams of pleasure.

“You’re kidding,” Teba said, followed by a quick look of disgust. “It ate you, and you had to cut yourself out of it?”

“I will admit, it was repulsive,” Sidon agreed, tightening his sheath’s inner muscles to cling to Link’s fingers where they slid around, Sidon’s natural lubricants already making the process easier. “But the sea had never tasted so sweet after that.”

“Well, you’ve certainly beaten my stories,” Teba chuckled as he shook his beaked head, feathers whispering. “I can’t say I’ve ever been eaten by anything and had to cut myself free.”

“And let’s hope you will never have to, my friend,” he said, holding the small groan of pleasure in the back of his throat. Link’s fingers give one more teasing circle to the inner walls of his sheath, a final caress to the heads of his cocks, before slipping free. He shifted back to look at Link, noting with amusement as Link used a cloth to clean his wandering hand. “Link, I hope you’ve never had the misfortune of being eaten.”

Link shot Sidon a veiled look, one that tugged the edges of Sidon’s lips. But ultimately, he signed that he hadn’t. More specifically, Sidon noticed he’d deliberately used gestures that indicated being ingested as opposed to consumed.

Sidon consumed him on a regular basis.

“Perhaps that says more about you,” Teba offered with a thoughtful flutter of the feathers at the end of his wing. “Then again, the monster would have to be mad to try to eat something like you.”

Sidon almost flicked his gaze to the corner of his eyes to see if Link had prevented himself from blushing as one of those ‘mad monsters’ himself, but was stopped short when the massive doors to the banquet hall burst open. Hylian Royal Guards rushed in.

The representatives were all on their feet in an instant, and any amused arousal Sidon had cultivated vanished. Link had already drawn the sword resting against the back of his seat before vaulting over the table. Sidon reached for his silverscale sword as he and Teba both abandoned their meals to take an active position near the door as Princess Zelda worked to uncover what was going on.

There were monsters outside the castle, in the fields just beyond the gates. Reports indicated lizalfos, bokoblins, moblins, and at least one hinox. Though initial reports indicated their numbers were small, the power of each creature was formidable on its own. They would need to be dealt with.

A plan developed quickly. The Rito would take to the skies, providing aerial support to those on the ground, giving aid where they could while dealing with any airborne threats. The Zora in attendance would aid the ground forces and handle any water-based attacks, and both the Gerudo and the Goron would stand with the Hylian guard.

Link, Sidon was unsurprised to find, vowed to take down the hinox.

“Bazz, you will lead our people in the battle,” Sidon told his guardsman. “Do what you can. I will aid Link in combat with the hinox.”

Bazz’s jaw clenched, clearly displeased by this news. “It’s not safe,” Bazz said, vocalizing Sidon’s own thoughts. “Master Link will be out there. What if you—”

“I can’t let him go out there alone,” Sidon said firmly, thinking of all the progress he’d made with the Hylian. Link was better, there was no doubting that. But some days were harder than others, and it would be easy to slip up in the heat of the moment. Especially if he was alone.

He could not risk Link giving into his demons. Someone needed to go with him to watch his back, just in case. And it had to be him.

“Forgive me, my prince,” Bazz pressed. “But if you should lose control … if something should happen to Master Link, you’d never—!”

“I will not lose control,” Sidon interrupted, lifting his chin though his heart trembled at Bazz’s concern. “I can’t afford to. So I won’t.”

Bazz took a deep breath before giving a curt nod. “We will deal with the beasts we face. Once we are done, we will come to your aid.”

“No, stay here and do what you can for those here.” Sidon’s lips pressed thin. “Between Link and I, we will both be fine.”

Bazz’s tone told him he didn’t disagree. But they both knew his concern was more for Link. Still, he’d been given an order. “Yes, my Prince.”

Bazz’s words faded from Sidon’s mind as he took off at a run after Link, who was already sprinting away. Despite Sidon’s shorter legs and smaller stride, his legs were powerful, meant for rapid kicks and sprinting. He caught up to the hero in a matter of moments.

Link glared at him when he caught up, matching him step for step.

_Go! I can handle this on my own!_

“Everyone else has the rest of the castle under control. I am not letting you handle this monster by yourself!” He snagged Link’s arm. “Together, Link. That’s what we agreed. And I will not let you go back on your word.”

Defiance flared in in the Hylian’s eyes, but Sidon wouldn’t budge. This wasn’t about if he though Link would fight with the intention of getting himself killed. Not anymore, he knew that. They both did. This was about Link learning the harder lesson that he didn’t have to do this alone. That he shouldn’t.

That as much as Sidon took care of him emotionally, he could help keep him safe in battle as well.

_All right,_ Link finally agreed. _Just be careful_.

A broad smile flared across Sidon’s lips, confidence roaring through his body. “Against the both of us, my friend, it won’t be us that should be so careful!”

An amused chuckle spared a moment to slip past Link’s lips before they hardened and focused. Together they made quick time, passing skirmishes on their way to their target. By the looks of them, the fighting was going well. A hundred years of terror and oppression had inspired a certain fighting spirit in all those around them. They were quickly gaining control of the situation.

But these skirmishes were just that. Skirmishes against small fry. He and Link had the challenge and some distance from New Castle Town they found the hinox as it slowed its approach. Around it was a small hoard of moblins. They charged at the sight of Sidon and Link, and it was then that their battle began.

The moblins were taken care of with little problem between Link’s and Sidon’s swords, but what made the fight difficult were the bomb arrows one moblin had access to, and the shock arrows another was more than happy to send Sidon’s way. Unfortunately, Sidon suffered the brunt of a shock arrow, after a successful maneuver which managed to take out the wilier moblins, and had been dazed and left gasping for a few moments. Distantly he heard the sound of metal on metal, of grunts and the heavy plodding footsteps of the hinox as it closed the distance. Sidon gritted his teeth and did his best to shrug off the shock and get back in the fight.

Link needed him.

His body slowly came back under his control when he watched the hinox reach a hand back and swat Link, sending him flying back. Toppling him. A moblin was in range and lifted a metal lined club to bring it down on the hero. Link rolled and dodged to one side, then to the other, but was caught off guard when the hinox caught him by the leg and lifted him in the air.

“Link!” Sidon roared, panic breaking into his mind as the shock from the arrow still held him back. He struggled against his body’s limitations, his fear morphing into anger as the tight control he had over himself and over and his nature began to loosen. To slip.

Link yelled, swinging his sword and forcing the monster to let him go. It did with an agonized howl, slamming the hero to the ground with a terrible thud which left the Hylian limp. Fear flooded Sidon, the world stopping as he waited for some sign that Link was okay.

Link groaned, an arm lifting to shakily shove himself up, and as he did Sidon caught sight of the same thing he suddenly smelled in the air.

Blood. Link’s blood, dripping down a face pulled into a grimace of pain and struggle.

Link. Link bleeding. Link _injured_.

Prince Sidon saw red.

His mind vanished, and the blood-frenzy overtook him in a flash. Sidon pivoted on a foot, tossing his sword away to gain the most momentum possible as the beast in him took over with death on its mind.

Sidon attacked with a ferocious roar that split the air and filled the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you guys might have thought the cliffhangers were over lol. Never! Regardless of the cliffhanger, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear what you thought about it. Next week's chapter is going to be the last 'real' one before the epilogue (which I'll post a few days after), so I hope you're ready for it!
> 
> Until next week :]


	12. Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, at long last, here we are. The final full chapter. I hope you've enjoyed the ride and that you'll like how everything finally rounds out. Enjoy!

When Sidon regained some semblance of fuzzy awareness, he found himself standing in the center of a bloody battleground. His chest heaved, his claws and teeth were bloodstained and tacky, and evidence of a land-based blood-frenzy littered the space around him. Gore covered the ground in mutilated chunks everywhere. The hinox was dead. The moblins were dead, and it was only because his stomach didn’t feel engorged that he knew he hadn’t eaten what he’d killed.

But he’d certainly done enough.

Sidon staggered, a hand resting on the edge of his crest as he fought past the red haze to remember what had happened and work himself back to reason. What was the last thing he could recall?

The slow crack of wood destroyed his thoughts and Sidon roared and bared his multitude of bloody teeth at the sound. The urge to attack raced through him like lightning, but his breath caught when he saw what had made the noise.

Or more accurately, who.

The haze lifted again as he saw Link a small distance away standing cautiously with the broken stick he’d slowly cracked between his hands. He was bloody, one of his eyes was swelling, and his clothing was ruined. Memories slammed into Sidon, memories from before he’d lost himself to the blood-frenzy and confusing flashes of what had happened during.

Link had been injured. He’d been on the verge of being killed right in front of Sidon when he’d lost control. He’d attacked, literally ripping and biting into the giant monster with a viciousness that not even the hinox had been prepared for. Sidon remembered the feel of his teeth sinking into flesh, tearing, ripping, and coming down again with vindication and beastly delight. Enjoyment, raw and savage had torn through him as his beastly nature dominated his prey. Ripped apart the thing that had attempted to kill Link.

He remembered the pleasure he’d taken from the action, proving who was superior, and showing everyone and everything what they could expect if anything else so much as touched what was _his_.

The possessiveness. The success. The power of the blood-frenzy. It was still there, right there, just waiting for him below the surface. He could cross the distance between him and Link now, take the Hylian in his arms, ravish him as they bathed in the blood of his kill – his kill _for Link_. Here, now, he could sink his teeth into the hero, take him, _own him_ , and—

Sidon clenched his eyes shut and shook violently, his hands tight fists by his side as his claws ripped his palms to shreds. That wasn’t him. That was his base instincts, the dark beast he _needed_ to contain. He was Prince Sidon of the Zora. He was more than a beast. He was more than a monster, than the creature which now lay in fleshy pieces around him, the imprint of his teeth evident everywhere to see.

And yet, that beast was what he’d been moments ago. A beast worse than the hinox that had terrorized the Hylians. And Link … he’d seen that. He’d seen the creature Sidon kept hidden away behind a princely demeanor and an energetic smile. Link had seen the truth.

He knew because what he saw in the Hylian’s blue eyes was caution, echoed in the ready curve his body had taken.

Nausea roiled in Sidon’s stomach as he took another shaky breath. The haze was still close, too close. It would be too easy to slip back into it, to take and rend and hurt. For everyone’s sake, he needed to leave. The major threat had been dealt with, and that made him the most dangerous thing within miles.

Link dropped the stick he’d used to capture Sidon’s attention before he advanced a step forward. The Zora reacted immediately.

“Don’t!” he commanded, his voice raw in a way he knew came from the mindless roaring of the frenzy. “Just … don’t.”

Link didn’t take another step, but those blue eyes hardened with determination. There was something else there too. Something worse.

There was understanding.

_It’s all right. I’m fine_ , the Hylian signed. _You saved me_.

“Perhaps I did,” Sidon said bitterly. The haze threatened to rise, and he took a rigid breath and forced it back. “But not in any way a prince should.”

Sidon took a step back, and his stomach turned cold at the sucking sound the ground made in response. It was soaked with the blood of his kill. He was covered in it, covered so effectively that he could hardly tell the color of his own flesh from the red that covered him in a macabre layer.

The soft sound of feathers drew both their attentions, and they watched as Teba dropped from the sky to land on the hill just above. Intelligent topaz eyes observed the vast evidence of viciousness coating the area, then fell on Link.

“Are you both all right?”

“We’re fine,” Sidon replied, his voice a low growl and his jaws clipped shut at the sound of something so animistic. Beastly. The haze threatened to rise with the Rito’s presence. He knew it wouldn’t dissipate for some time still.

Whether Teba believed him or not, he didn’t know.

“Princess Zelda is looking for you,” the Rito told Link. “She is safe, but she wants to see you. I think she’d appreciate it if you’d sweep the perimeter and the castle grounds with the rest of the royal guards, just to make sure New Castle Town is secure.”

Reluctance shown in Link’s eyes as they flicked between Sidon and the castle. Between the deadly, blood-drenched Zora, or the Hylian princess Link had spent most of his life protecting.

Sidon knew which Link needed more.

“You should go,” Sidon said without looking at the Hylian. “I know you want to check on the princess. You should. I’ll be fine out here.” He gave a toothy smirk that held only dark humor. “I’m sure we both know I can protect myself.”

Link lingered. Sidon could almost imagine the torn look in those blue eyes … or the torn look which would’ve been there under other circumstances if he hadn’t seen the true extent of Sidon’s darker nature. But after a long moment, he heard Link’s footsteps turn and rapidly drift away as he ran toward New Castle Town, a silhouette in the dark with his sword in hand.

When Link was out of sight, Sidon tore his eyes away. He regarded the white Rito who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, topaz eyes studying him and the carnage centered around him.

“While I was flying I saw a spring nearby,” Teba told him calmly, though Sidon didn’t miss the way his legs tensed in preparation for quick flight, should he need it. “It looked isolated. A good place to clean up.”

Sidon eyed the direction the Rito indicated, and even if the feathered warrior had been lying, he’d have gone anywhere if it meant getting away.

“Thank you,” he told Teba as he moved, pausing only long enough to pick up his silverscale sword where it lay in the gore. Compared to what he could do on his own without it, it was nothing more than an ornament, but he held it tightly despite the truth.

He was impressed the Rito didn’t move from his position, even when Sidon walked passed.

“Please tell the others not to wait around for me, and to enjoy the rest of the festivities,” he said. Teba eyed him.

“And Link?”

The question made Sidon pause, and after a stiff moment, he breathed a response. “Tell him … that I made a mistake. And that I’m sorry.” Sidon gave a heavy sigh before moving forward again. “Please tell him that it’s best that our arrangement ends. I will be leaving for Zora’s Domain in the morning and will not require his accompaniment.”

Teba didn’t say anything, and it was only after Sidon crested the next hill that he heard the sound of feathers in flight, heading toward the Hylian castle.

The prince in him knew he should head back too. Be there to support the princess and the rest of the people of Hyrule, but he couldn’t. Not like this, in the state he was in. Not only was he a violent mess, but with the frenzy still lingering within his body, with others so close he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t turn into a monster they would need to put down either. If it had been in the Zora’s Domain, with his own people, it might have been different. His culture was designed to account for blood-frenzy in shark sub-type Zora. They were better equipped to deal with him, if and when he raged.

But if he lost control again, here at New Castle Town of all places, he ran the risk of decimating all who’d attended the gathering.

Or being killed himself, in the attempt to subdue him.

No, just like with Link, he could not risk it. It might cause a political backlash, but that was something he could handle and fix with time. He could not fix the death of the Hylian Princess, or the Hero of Hyrule.

Though he deserved no comfort, when he stepped into the spring Teba had found, Sidon was comforted. This far inland, even with its rivers and lakes, he often felt beached. At risk of drying out with all the land everywhere as far as the eye could see. This far from home, any body of water was a comfort, and it didn’t matter that he couldn’t properly swim in it, nor that he couldn’t properly submerge either without his uppermost fin sticking in the air if he stood upright. The touch of water soothed him as it swept away the blood and cooled the agitated energy in his veins.

Thankfully this was a healthy spring, and it swept the bloody water away. Soon all that was left was clear, clean water, and him alone under the bright moon above with the large stones lining the edges of the spring. He floated there, waiting for the frenzy to fade completely. Waiting for the haze to drift further and further away, and it did, some. Just a little. After a frenzy of this scale, Sidon knew it would be well toward dawn before he’d feel it was safe to leave the water. That meant several hours more _at least_ of uninterrupted peace as he urged the beast away.

That meant several hours more trapped with his thoughts and the knowledge of everything he’d done, everything Link had seen, and wondering at the depth for which he’d lost his dearest and greatest friend. His lover and companion. There would be no more power games. No more intimacy. He could no longer keep his promise to give the Hylian what he needed, not when he was such a risk to the hero. It made Sidon’s heart ache, but to keep Link safe, he would. He’d do it. He’d do anything.

Even give him up.

Sidon stiffened, the haze curling around the corners of his mind as his mouth involuntarily opened to taste the water. The tell-tale call swept through his mind and beat at his weakened control, and only one thing filled his mind.

Blood. There was fresh blood in the water.

And it was Link’s.

He moved swiftly, and before his mind had caught up, he was already across the spring and rising to the surface, chasing the taste. Somehow, he slowed to a stop meters away from the hero, and Sidon watched. Moonlight bleached the Hylian in shades of white and gray, made that much more apparent by the fact that he was stripping from his armor and clothes as a nicked ankle soaked in the water, seeping a thin line of blood.

Link pause as if he’d sensed him, then looked out across the water and caught his eyes. Sidon narrowed his, unsure how to proceed, but he gaped when the Hylian pulled his gaze away and stepped out of his last article of clothing so he could stand nude before him.

Then he knelt and took a knife that had been buried tip-first in the dirt beside him and nicked his shin before submerging it in the water to let the fresh swell of blood spread.

“You fool!” Sidon hissed angrily, wanting to dive away but somehow surging forward instead. “I told you long ago you play dangerous games. Dangerous games _with me_.” Already he could feel the haze threatening to return, the red edging his vision again. “Leave before I accidentally kill you!”

Link slipped further into the water as if he hadn’t heard a word Sidon said. Soon he’d waded close, the blood in the water growing sharper, and Sidon hadn’t realized he’d moved until the Hylian was already crushed against his body. Sidon couldn’t even force himself to let Link go.

“Why aren’t you struggling?” Sidon demanded as terror lifted in his chest, remembering how quickly he’d fallen into the frenzy. How fast he’d lost control. “This isn’t safe.” He held the small Hylian between his hands, Sidon’s fear clear on his face and in his eyes. “My dearest friend, _I am not safe_.”

Unflinching blue held his with all the calmness of the world. Sidon’s breath came heavy and rapid as he waited for the frenzy to descend. Strip him of his mind and leave him a beast worst than the one he’d torn to pieces. But the moments lengthened, and with each passing second and each successful breath, nothing happened. They held each other’s gaze, both waiting.

And still, nothing.

Eventually Link shifted, and though Sidon couldn’t help the flinch that shot through his body in response, the Hylian didn’t stop. He just moved a little slower.

A warm hand cupped Sidon’s cheek, traced his chin, then the fin which hung by his face before Link gave him a small smile.

_Move closer to the edge,_ he signed. _We need to talk._

“You need to leave. I told Teba to tell you this … this has ended.”

_Like I said, we need to talk,_ Link signed again. _Then we’ll make that decision._

Sidon frowned, but the fact was that he still couldn’t bring himself to release the Hylian. His hands felt locked around Link’s shoulders, and until he could force them open again … he might as well. Link clearly had no desire to leave, and at this point the only way the Hylian would leave was if the smaller man chose to.

With a soft kick, Sidon stepped along the bottom of the spring, back toward the submerged boulders before he sat on one. This allowed Link to settle atop one of Sidon’s thighs with the water curling about his waist. Like this, with the water lapping against the earth and the stones around them, the ambient sounds of the night settled around them. It was quiet, so quiet he couldn’t hear anything from New Castle Town. With uneasy reserve, he watched Link cup water between his hands only to lift them and let the water pour out.

Sidon watched him do this over and over, the repetitive action soothing and harmless, and he felt some of the pent-up tension in his muscles ease away. Gently he stroked a thumb over the protrusion of Link’s shoulder, savoring the sensation since it would be among the last times he’d be so intimate with the Hero of Hyrule.

“You wanted to talk.”

Link let the final handful of water slip between his fingers before he nodded.

_Why do you want to end things?_

Sidon gave a weak, tortured laugh. “Never one to beat around the bush.” That weak laugh faded into the quiet around them, and his brow furrowed unhappily. “I thought that was obvious.”

_I don’t think so,_ Link countered. _All I know is that you saved me. I don’t see why that means we should end things between us._

“I might have killed you,” Sidon said darkly, his eyes narrowed. “I became a beast tonight, a mindless monster. I lost control. I don’t even remember most of what I did.” Sidon held Link’s eyes imploringly. “While I was like that, anything could have happened to you. I might have killed you and not known it until it was too late. That’s why you _can’t_ be with me, even if it’s the last thing I want.”

_You don’t remember what happened?_

Sidon shrugged, breaking their gaze. “I remember flashes. Sensations. Emotions. Killing. With enough time, I’m sure I’ll remember everything. That’s usually how it is when the frenzy is that bad.”

Link gave a soundless hum before he shifted forward, inching closer. Sidon almost forced him away since his hands were still locked about the Hylian, but found he couldn’t. Not when Link looked at him like that. Not when he tilted his head to press his lips against his softly, so softly as if not to scare him away.

Unable to stop himself, Sidon pulled the Hylian a little closer, deepening the kiss as he always did though much more slowly. As his tongue carefully plundered, he caught the groan Link made within his own mouth and felt the hero tremble in his hold. A warm hand pressed gently against Sidon’s chest before tracing its way southward along a familiar path that made his muscles jump and his body tighten.

Sidon’s mind wavered as a flare of desire rose in a manner too similar to the hazed blood-frenzy to ignore.

With a sucking sound, he pulled Link back and held him away with hands that _still_ wouldn’t let go of the smaller man. Link’s wandering touch stilled, then dropped away.

“No, I can’t.” Sidon gritted his teeth and fought the growing desire and the mounting panic in his chest. “I might lose control again, and I can’t risk that. I can’t risk _you_ like that.” His apology came out in a strained hush. “I’m sorry.”

And he was because what they’d had … what they’d shared this past year, it was good. It was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and not only to him. It had saved Link from his own darker tendencies. What might have happened if he hadn’t convinced Link to give him a chance and stay? He suspected they both knew. But for the better part of a year, they’d given each other so much. Sidon had been the control Link had needed, and Link was safe and with him.

But now, because of him, Link wouldn’t be safe. And if he couldn’t ensure Link’s safety, Sidon wouldn’t continue this. Even if the separation might break him.

Fingers slipped under Sidon’s chin, warm and firm, and they urged him to look up. He almost shook them off, but if he was going to break their agreement, he felt it only fitting that he give Link this. Perhaps he wouldn’t hate him so much when they parted ways.

_Don’t give up. Not on us, and not on me. I can give you what you need_ , Link signed in the space between them where he balanced on Sidon’s thigh, warm and firm and enticing. _I’m not afraid._

“I am,” the Zora admitted, his hands shaking where they held the Hylian’s shoulders so easily between his palms. Like this, Sidon could break him. End his life like he had the hinox. It would be so easy. Too easy, because he knew the hero wouldn’t stop him, and that alone broke his heart. “You’ve seen what I can do. What I hide. What I have to control. If I lose control again, now or sometime in the future, what if it’s you I do that to? What if I lose myself to the frenzy and do the thing I will most regret?”

Link stared at him for a long moment before he gave Sidon a slow smile. _What exactly do you remember?_

Sidon’s hands tightened and he had to force them to relax before his claws tore the hero’s skin.

“I remember ripping the creature to shreds,” Sidon whispered. He closed his eyes tight as he bowed his head to hide his face, his tail limp and lifeless behind him. “I remember enjoying it. It was so easy, and I wanted to because it had almost killed you.” His voice shuddered. “It almost took you away from me.”

A soft touch on his crest caused Sidon to open his eyes, and he saw Link had rested his brow against his own. The Hylian maintained that small smile before his hands lifted.

_That’s not all that happened._

Sidon’s brow furrowed in confusion. It wasn’t?

“What else did I do?” he asked, afraid of the response. What more had he done? What other atrocities had he committed?

_You saved me,_ the Champion replied. _I’ve never seen anyone move as fast as you did, but one moment you were far away, and the next you’d picked me up and moved me to safety._ Again, Link’s eyes softened. _No one saves me, Sidon. No one ever has, except you._

“But you don’t realize how close that put you to danger,” Sidon told him, urged him to see. “I might have turned on you.”

A small laugh slipped from the hero’s lips before he took Sidon’s face between his hands again and shook his head.

_You kissed me, mid-battle. I hope you remember that._ Heat filled Link’s gaze, and his pink tongue slipped out to wet his lips. His smile pulled into a large, amused grin. _It was after you killed the hinox._ _I thought for sure you were going to try to take me then and there on the battlefield._ Those blue eyes smoldered. _If the second hinox hadn’t arrived, I’m not sure I’d have stopped you._

“What?” Sidon said, confused not only by the revelation that there had been a second hinox which had attacked, but also by the frenzy-induced arousal.

But now that Link had mentioned it, he did remember something through the haze. Holding Link, crushing him against his body, his mouth against the hero’s in a promising mockery of what he might do to Link’s body with his cocks instead. The heady relief that the Hylian was safe. The bloody desire. With embarrassment, Sidon recalled the sensation of his cocks unsheathing, and the feel of Link’s hands boldly tempting them further out as they’d both groaned with lust before the second hinox arrived.

Sidon was privately mortified to find how deeply he’d been enraged by the interruption. It might have been more than when the first hinox had almost stolen Link’s life away. No wonder he’d come to like he had, violent and disoriented. Not only had he and Link been threatened, but Sidon had also been sexually frustrated too.

A blush burned across the Zora’s cheeks, and Link’s lips pulled into an amused, coy smirk. “I … I didn’t know.”

_Oh yes,_ he signed, his movements turning sensual. _You want to know how I knew you wouldn’t hurt me while you were in your frenzy? Because in the middle of battle you protected me and you_ wanted _me._ His features grew satisfied. _So if you were wondering, I’m not afraid. Not in the slightest. I’m not disturbed by your tendencies or your nature. And I don’t doubt for an instant you can still give me what I need._

“Link,” Sidon breathed, his heart racing as heady warmth began to gather in his body.

_What I am,_ Link continued as he flicked his eyes pointedly downward, causing Sidon’s gaze to follow. _Is horribly aroused._

And to Sidon’s amazement, to his astonishment, to his desire and hunger, Link was. His erection jutted up, proud and needy, and Sidon sucked in a breath. The Hylian smirked before grinding himself over Sidon’s pelvic slit, and Link had to know what it would do to the Zora in his current mindset. Link gestured again, and all thought shattered in Sidon’s mind.

_And I think it’s about time you took me properly._

What vague control Sidon had wrestled back from his beastly self shattered as the frenzy crested, but instead of blacking out like he usually did, Sidon found himself sinking into it. His inhibitions dropped away, replaced with burning desire and fierce adoration for this small, incredible Hylian.

Sidon’s hands tightened around Link’s thighs, his claws pressing in hard enough to bruise and prick. Link’s eyes flashed daringly, and instead of releasing him, Sidon used the Champion’s body to grind brutally against as his cocks slipping out easy and ready and full.

“Then I think I should rectify that,” Sidon replied, his voice a low, enticing rumble. “You’re right. I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”

_You have,_ Link agreed cheekily, then gasped as Sidon yanked him down into a rough kiss where he let the beast have its way. Link shuddered and mewled prettily for him, and Sidon’s head filled with those delectable sounds. He wanted more. He wanted it all. He wanted everything the Hylian had to offer.

And Link, brave, heroic Link, wanted to give it to him.

The sexual frustration from the fight earlier grew into a roaring fire within Sidon’s body, which in turn caused Link to writhe on top of him as the hero ground his erection between them, seeking relief. Sidon ripped him away to stop the errant actions before thrusting several fingers into Link’s body after quickly lubing them. Their active sexual natures insured Link was already well prepared to take several fingers at a time. He could take one of Sidon’s cocks with little effort.

But he’d be taking more this time. Much more.

“I might rip you apart, my hero,” Sidon growled as he thrust his fingers deep, pressing in as far as he could. Link’s breath was ragged as he bore down on Sidon’s trusting fingers willingly, doing what he could to show his eagerness. “Look at you. How often have you dreamed of this?”

Link only moaned as Sidon pulled out enough to draw all his fingers together and press back in, stretching the Hylian more. Shamelessly, Link attempted to ride Sidon’s fist, and the blatant desire he showed only made Sidon harder. He pulled his hand back again and slathered more of his lubricants along Link’s hole, lubing him up as best he could, stretching him as much as possible in preparation for what was to come.

The Hylian bared his teeth and keened, eyes alight with readiness and fire. The beast in Sidon matched it.

“This won’t be easy,” he growled, pressing a hot kiss to Link’s shoulder, his neck, his lips, his brow. Link only shoved him back with a toothy grin before settling himself above Sidon’s cocks, lining both up right where he wanted them. With them pressed together like they were, they looked massive below the small Hylian.

And Link wanted both.

The heads of both cocks were slowly engulfed in velvet heat and without hesitating Link let himself sink down. For the moment, Sidon wrangled only enough control not to yank Link down brutally while shoving himself up to impale the Hylian. But despite the desire and the fire burning through his body, both he and the beast didn’t want to truly harm Link. They were willing to wait while Link took his time working himself down upon Sidon. Settling himself carefully. Stretching bit by grueling, agonizing bit until he was safely mounted.

It took an age — at least within the warped sensation of Sidon’s fuzzy, frenzy aroused mind — but with every thrust of his hips, Link worked himself lower, taking them inch by slow inch. Each ridge on Sidon’s cocks caught the rim of Link’s hole and sent a sharp pang of pleasure through the Zora’s body which resounded within Link. At Sidon’s widest, Link had to pause as if get his bearings. As if to prepare for the final push.

Then he bared down, and Sidon couldn’t stop himself from helping just a little. His hips jerked up as Link settled down and their collective gasps and groans were loud in the night air.

Pressure and heat unlike anything Sidon had ever experienced swallowed him, and he didn’t think he could create words if he’d tried. With Link seated on him, huffing slightly with the exertion and stuffed _full_ of him now properly mounted, Sidon could hardly believe it.

Then the beast in him took over again. And Sidon let it.

Taking hold of Link’s hips, Sidon pressed deeper into the small Hylian’s body, and Link cried out and slumped forward to dig fingers into Sidon’s chest. The air smelled divine, filled with arousal and need. It drove him higher.

Sidon lifted Link almost entirely off before plunging him back down again, and Link shouted in ecstasy. Together they began the roughest, most intense session of sex they’d ever experienced together. Always, Sidon had held back. Kept himself in control. He didn’t want to break this Hylian, but here above him, Link proved again and again that when it came to him, to this, he was unbreakable.

They matched each other thrust for thrust, his hands clutching Link tight enough to leave telling bruises but neither cared. It only sharpened the experience, pushed them further as they worked their ways deeper into each other’s body and souls. Link groaned with lust, his face a grimace of desire and concentration as his little cock swung and flopped between them with the force of their coupling. The heat began to build tellingly within his body, and Sidon spared a hand to wrap around it. Drive Link higher.

Aroused blue met Sidon’s gold and black desperately, and that look, paired with the intense blush flowing over Link’s cheeks and chest and back had Sidon pulling out only so he could turn Link to face the rocks they’d been resting against. Link spread his legs wide in preparation for what was coming, and Sidon didn’t hesitate to line himself up behind the Hylian and pound into him again without restraint, and Link’s cry of desire was like music in the night.

Like this, behind Link with all the leverage he needed, he took the Hero of Hyrule for everything he had, kissing his back, his shoulders, his neck, controlling him by the handful of hair clenched in his hand as he pulled Link in for a bruising kiss. His free hand delved between Link’s legs to work his straining erection as Sidon bucked into Link relentlessly, pressing him harder. Taking everything Link had to offer. Anything he gave.

The Hylian’s legs gave out, but Sidon hardly cared. He was close. _They_ were close, and all Sidon could think about was how much deeper he could delve into his Hylian. How much harder he could plow. How many more sweet sounds he could make Link create for him. How far Link’s trust went that he’d never once pushed away or been frightened by the beast Sidon hid from everyone.

How much this meant past the sex. How deep this reached into the core of them.

Link made the familiar, telling sound which always told Sidon he was about to cum, and Sidon’s pace turned jagged and harsh. He wanted this orgasm. He wanted to Hero of Hyrule, _his_ Hero of Hyrule to cum because of him, on him properly as he filled him to the brim. The Zora had been brushing and striking the Hylian’s prostate, driving Link wild, and he was close. He was very close.

And the thought drove Sidon harder.

“You wanted this,” Sidon growled into Link’s pointed ear, letting his teeth nip at the delicate skin there. “And I’ve given it to you. Now it’s your turn to give it to me.” The pressure and intensity tightened as he neared the edge. As they both did. Link just needed a little push, and he dragged his teeth over Link’s shoulder, highlighting the danger. “I believe in you, Link. Now, _cum._ ”

And without fail, the Champion came on command, his entire body tightening past anything Sidon had ever experienced as the purest sound slipped out of his mouth. As Link came, his hand reached back and dug viciously into Sidon’s fin, the ecstasy unmistakable.

And that was all it took.

Both cocks exploded with his orgasm, and in the rush, Sidon couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t even want to. All his fantasies were becoming reality, and they were culminating into this final, dangerous act. With a groan, Sidon opened his jaws wide and bit down into Link’s exposed shoulder.

The Hylian’s wanton moan was a jagged mixture of extreme pleasure and sharp pain that played itself against Sidon’s mind like a symphony as the blood leaking into his mouth became the most decadent thing Sidon had ever tasted. His tongue slipped around his teeth and the bleeding flesh in his mouth while the rest of his body wrung the final dregs of their orgasms out of his and Link’s body. Pure euphoria shuddered through Sidon, and he was sure he’d fall apart if it weren’t for Link’s hands clinging to him so tightly. His warm weight pressed against his chest. The sublime, agonized bliss falling across his beautiful face.

Link was perfect. And Sidon didn’t think there was anyone else in the world he loved more than this one brave, incredible, broken Hylian.

Bodily fatigue left by the overwhelming afterglow dragged Sidon down and caused both their movements to cease as they huffed for breath. Slowly Sidon opened his jaw and released Link’s shoulder, his teeth sucking as they pulled out of the small wounds encircling his flesh. He tugged the Hylian up a little higher and turned him to stare at the mark he’d just made as thick crimson oozed from the wounds, pooling and slipping down Link’s arm and over Sidon’s body and into the water. Link slumped forward, limp, his breathing evening out, and for once the beast within Sidon felt calm and sated.

Sidon tipped back with Link balanced on his chest, and they floated together in the spring, his arm curled over Link. His cocks slipped from the hero’s body, causing them both to wince slightly. The frenzy was ebbing and Sidon stared up at the night sky, breathless after such a surreal moment.

The beast had come out. It had come out with Link, and Sidon had _let it_.

And Link was still alive.

And Link was still here.

And there was no fear coloring the scent of the air. There was only contentment. The scent of their coupling. Blood.

“Link?” Sidon said, his thumb brushing along the Hylian’s spine. “Link, are you all right?”

It took a moment, but Link hummed, pressing soft, butterfly kisses along Sidon’s chest before he found the strength to tilt his body enough to lift his arms and gesture. Link didn’t even wince from the prominent bite mark. There was only an unfathomable depth and peace found in those deep blue eyes.

And a satisfied smirk on his lips.

_I can’t wait to do that again_.

Sidon stared at Link before a soft laugh climbed up out of his chest, then grew louder as intense warmth blossomed within Sidon’s heart. A smile flowed across his face, made stronger by the fact that Link now laughed with him, the look in his eyes warm and everything Sidon thought he could ever want.

“You’re perfect,” Sidon breathed as he stroked Link’s hair when he sat up, this beautiful, enchanting creature above him silhouetted in the moonlight. He looked divine. Ethereal. It was no wonder he’d been favored by the Goddess. Sidon could see it so clearly. “What have I done to deserve you?”

Link’s eyes softened.

_What haven’t you done?_

“Not enough to deserve this,” Sidon said. “Never enough.”

_You’ve done more than enough._ Link said, eyes dropping slightly. _Not to ruin the moment, but this is important. Are … are we ending this?_ _Do you still want to leave?_

Sidon stared at the Hero of Hyrule, this small Hylian who had swept his way into his heart, and he held Link’s face between his hands. His claws sunk into the fine hair on both sides, and he let Link see everything his golden eyes could share.

“How could I possibly tell you to leave when only you can give me what I need?”

Link’s breath turned jagged, his eyes watering and his face pulling up into a smile so great it almost looked like a grimace. Pained happiness. Desperate happiness.

Perhaps the best kind.

Lips pressed against his, quick and desperate and sloppy and demanding, and Sidon reacted immediately. It wasn’t a gentle kiss, but a scared one. A tentative, hopeful one that shared that little bit of themselves they’d been holding back since all of this began. The intimacy had at some point given way to warmth, and between them as they shared each other, it was clear to Sidon what that warmth was.

It was love. And Sidon loved this brave, amazing, broken Hylian more than he loved anything or anyone in the world.

“I love you,” he whispered, pulling away after rapid, needy kisses as their hands clung to each other, pawing and demanding. The haze of frenzy threatened to rise again, but this time _Sidon didn’t care_. He wasn’t afraid of it or what he might do to Link while it raged through him anymore. There was no reason to fear, not with the Hero of Hyrule. “Don’t leave. Don’t ever leave.”

_I won’t_ , Link signed, the movements so familiar Sidon didn’t need to see them to know what the feel of them meant. _I won’t. I’ll stay forever._ The Hylian pulled away, and Sidon almost dragged him back, but a hand on his chest forced him to pause. He watched as Link made a gesture he’d never made before, clear and slow in front of his body, mouthing the words at the same time so there was no doubt.

_I love you._

At that moment, Sidon didn’t know if it was frenzy or clarity which swelled through him, but it didn’t matter. It was all the same to him, now that Link had conquered both his selves, just as he’d conquered Link’s dark urges. Sidon hadn’t even realized he’d needed conquering.

But he had. And Link had somehow known.

And this time it had been Link who’d given him what he’d needed.

“I love you,” Sidon said again, voice rasped and filled with deep emotion. Link gave him a smile filled with such bittersweet understanding. He gestured again.

_I love you_.

And then he leaned down and stole Sidon’s lips with his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's pretty much it, guys! Aside from a teeny-tiny epilogue I'll post on Wednesday, this about rounds it up. I hope you've enjoyed the ride and that you liked what I did with this story. I'd love to hear what you thought :]
> 
> I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who's reviewed and kudoed and subscribed and bookmarked, and everyone who will in the future! It's been incredible watching this story climb through the ranks. This story has exceeded all of my expectations in every single way, and it's because of you guys. So thank you! You're all so awesome and I'll see you in a few days <3


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end, with this teeny-tiny epilogue. It's been fun you guys, I've loved posting this story for you! I do have ideas for more Sidlink stories (perhaps even a sequel for this one???), but I have no idea when I'll be able to get to them. Hopefully soon :]
> 
> Also, if you'd like, you can follow me [here](https://mori-writes.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. I haven't done a whole lot with it yet, but I'm hoping that'll change here soon.
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, the epilogue. Enjoy!

“Again,” Sidon whispered as he floated with Link’s warm weight on top of him, his hands covering the Hylian’s smaller, naked body. “Again.”

Link’s hands shifted between them to trace the words again on his chest, right over his heart as if he might etch them there. Brand him with them. If he did, if Link chose to do something like that, Sidon doubted he’d lift a finger to stop him.

_I love you_.

Sidon shuddered, and then his chest hitched as he felt Link trace something different in his skin. Something equally compelling, and painfully bittersweet.

_I need you._

“Again,” Sidon whispered, not caring which Link admitted to, so long as he continued to tell him as they drifted in the small pool beneath the stars. For the moment, it felt as if they were alone together, and it didn’t matter that there had been a deadly fight only hours earlier, or that Princess Zelda and the others were likely waiting for them to return. None of that mattered.

Link pressed a kiss into Sidon’s chest, his hair tickling the skin there, and another shudder rolled through the Zora. He felt the Hylian smile in response.

“Again.”

Pressure against his chest made him look down, and a warm, decadent look sat in those ocean-blue eyes, a look which sent heat pooling low in his body. That look, coupled with the prominent bite mark encircling Link’s right shoulder made the Hylian look ravished and incredible. Ready for more.

From within his pelvic sheath, Sidon felt his cocks twitch.

_I think I’ve broken you,_ Link gestured from astride his waist. Sidon’s hands tightened around Link’s hips, his claws digging into bruised flesh. A slight hiss slipped from the hero’s lips, and Link’s cock began to erect as well. _Is ‘again’ all you can say now?_

The challenge in those words brought out the hunger in Sidon. Link gasped and groaned as Sidon’s cocks slipped free, sliding slowly between the globes of the Hylian’s ass, a ridge or two catching promisingly. Shameless, Sidon ground them against the Hylian as he reached for Link’s neck to pull him down. Sidon smirked at the hot look in Link’s eyes, ready for another round, aware that it would likely be as rough and violent as the last one.

But it was so apparent that Link didn’t mind. That he wanted it, not only because it was what he needed. What Sidon could give him. But because it was also what Sidon needed, and what Link could give him in return.

The Zora ground his hips, pressing Link’s sensitive body down and squeezing a groan of desire out of him. Every one of Sidon’s teeth shown as he forced Link to moan, those blue eyes aroused, alight, and all his. The Hylian reached between their bodies to take hold of a cock and stroke it, and Sidon hummed with appreciation and pleasure.

“Again.”


End file.
